DOT ONES

Can you trust Dropbox?

doadmin — Wed, 12 Sep 2012 11:51:32 +0000

Dropbox seems to have secured a fair share of users whom are now sharing and uploading their files over the internet. Whilst there are a multitude of cloud file-sharing platforms currently available on the internet, it’s important to bear a couple of facts in mind prior to choosing a cloud file-sharing service and uploading your sensitive data to these servers.

Privacy Regulations

Organisations which should be fully compliant with current privacy legislations should be aware that the majority of the cloud file-sharing service providers are generally only compliant with privacy laws enforced in the country which they were registered in and therefore may not fully cover the privacy laws introduced and enforced in other countries.
For example Drop box has recently been forced to revise their policies to abide by the Swiss Safe Harbour framework which are a set of data privacy rules introduced between the EU and the USA. In other words Dropbox still doesn’t comply with certain privacy standards currently available in the UK.

Security

The majority of the file-sharing service providers have somehow secured the way files are transferred over the internet and stored on their servers. This still raises the question; “what if this security is breached?”
Security and encryption measures are becoming more and more sophisticated on a daily basis but there’s still a potential risk for cloud file-sharing service providers whom use out-dated data communication and storage security protocols.
For example Dropbox, on the 19th of June 2011, left certain accounts unlocked for a period of 4 hours. In other words, anything typed into the password field would have gained you full access to the account.
Although it’s beyond this article to explain how this happened, it’s important to note that with all sophisticated security measures taken, even the well-established cloud file-sharing service providers can suffer from breaches.

Local Backup

Cloud file-sharing services tend to provide the ability to save documents and files into a highly available shared storage spaces. These storage spaces are backed up by redundant storage servers which allow you to seamlessly access your files without having to worry about certain hardware or software failures.
On the other hand, it’s important that the cloud file-sharing solution also provides you with the ability to retain a copy of your files and documents on your local computer.
In other words, it should work similar to the same way Dropbox works. A copy of your file is held electronically on Dropbox servers whilst you also have access to your files offline on a folder located on your computer.
Certain other companies only allow you to store the data on their servers and prevent you from keeping a copy of your file locally on your computer. In the event of the company experiencing severe failures you won’t be able to access your data until service is restored to their servers.

Content Access

The employees of the said service provider should also not have the ability of view your files. The files should be encrypted with the a minimum AES-256 bit encryption and in fact this should be explicitly noted within the privacy policy section of the website. Although this comes with the exception that under certain circumstances the service provider is legally obliged to access the content of your account due to a request made by court/law.

Having read the above article, would you trust online storage providers?

Are your emails in sync across devices?

doadmin — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 16:15:56 +0000

Nowadays we tend to use a multitude of digital devices to check for our incoming emails. A range of different devices and applications which should be available at any given point in time, devices which can include anything from a simple handheld to a high end desktop PC.

The importance of having the same mailbox folder structure, calendar items, contacts and emails across all computer devices has become more and more of a concern.

A varitey of solution have been introduced in order to keep this structure in sync and below we will be reviewing 2 of these technologies:

Microsoft Exchange Server
Built to deliver the enterprise-grade security and reliability that businesses require, Microsoft Exchange provides email, calendar and contacts on your PC, phone and web browser.

Support for a variety of browsers, including Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari and Chrome, allows you to work and collaborate no matter where you are

Mobile sync to hundreds of devices, including Windows Phone, iPhone, and Android, means you can access and update your info while on the go

Multi-layered anti-spam filtering with continuous updates helps guard against spam and phishing threats

A new, unified approach to high availability and disaster recovery helps your business achieve increased levels of reliability

With Exchange, users can access their mailboxes from wherever they go, with full support for Outlook, a premium web browser experience, and access from a wide range of mobile devices.

More storage options make it possible to offer users low cost large mailboxes so they can access all their essential information in one place
Calendar sharing allows users to share free/busy information with colleagues, even if they work at another company
Email archiving, eDiscovery Search, retention policies, and legal hold to help you preserve and discover data
Security policies let you create approved mobile device lists, enforce PIN lock, and remotely wipe data from lost phones.
Choice of deployment options including Exchange Server on-premises, Exchange Online in the cloud, and hybrid deployment options

Do you proactively update your IT infrastructure?

doadmin — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 16:15:13 +0000

Hardware manufacturers and software developers all tend to provide critical software and hardware updates for their equipment and applications. This allows them to fully update, patch and secure the loopholes that may be used by unwanted intruders to cause disruption. It’s fairly important to have your operating system, software as well as hardware equipment fully updated and patched with the latest security definitions and firmware packages. Manufacturers like Microsoft and Apple have their own proprietary software in order to automatically update the operating system and the applications that are available on the computer.

Windows Updates

Windows Update is a service provided by Microsoft that provides updates for the Microsoft Windows operating system and its installed components, including Internet Explorer. Updates are normally provided over an Internet connection, although there is provision for updates to be installed on computers without an Internet connection. There are different kinds of updates. Security updates or critical updates protect against vulnerabilities to malware and security exploits. Other updates correct errors that aren’t related to security, or enhance functionality. Security updates are routinely provided on the second Tuesday of each month, but can be provided whenever a new update is urgently required to prevent a newly discovered or prevalent exploit targeting Windows users. Windows Update can be configured to install critical updates automatically so long as the computer is connected to the Internet, without the user needing to install them manually, or even be aware that an update is required .

Apple Software Update

Software Update is a software tool by Apple Inc. that installs the latest version of Apple software on computers running Mac OS X. It was originally introduced to Mac users in Mac OS 9. A Windows version has been available since the introduction of iTunes 7, under the name Apple Software Update. Software Update automatically informs users of new updates. Software Update can be set to check for updates daily, weekly, monthly, or not at all; in addition, it can download and store the associated .pkg file (the same type used by Installer) to be installed at a later date and maintains a history of installed updates. Software Updates consist of incremental updates of the Mac OS and its applications, Security Updates, device drivers and firmware updates. All software updates require a password, as with all consequential system changes. Some updates require a system restart. Starting with Mac OS X 10.5, updates that require a reboot log out the user prior to installation and automatically restart the computer when complete; in earlier versions, the updates are installed, but critical files are not replaced until the next system startup.

Poor Internet speed can slow down your business.

doadmin — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 16:14:58 +0000

The Internet has become a major part of our lives to an extent where we eat, breath and communicate through the Internet and therefore the availability of such a service has proved to be crucial to a point where the smallest amount of downtime can certainly lead to business continuity issues. Similar to any other IT equipment and service, The Internet also relies on certain elements to perform consistently in order to provide you with a high quality connection. From the point where you open up your browser window to the point where you are connected to your desired web page, traffic travels through a multitude of devices and platforms to deliver the content to your computer.

First Element – Internet Browser Initially, you will open up your browser window, in this case it may Internet explorer. Any issues that this software maybe experiencing can result into a drop in Internet speed and therefore your browser is the first element.

Second Element – Computer

Third Element – Wireless Connection

Fourth Element – Router

Fifth Element – Filter

Sixth Element – Internet Connection

Are you protected from the viruses, trojans & worms?

doadmin — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 16:14:17 +0000

One of the most common reasons for failures or problems in computers is the lack of antivirus software, or expired antivirus software. It is an issue which is often overlooked and has dire consequences for the unfortunate computer owner. Viruses are three of those malicious programs written by specific people called hackers who have the purpose of destroying personal data and destroy the computer working peace and then goes on to irritate the users. Each day at least a million users complain that their PC has got affected with viruses.

What Is a Virus?

These days there are so many different types of virus. So what is a virus? A virus is usually hidden, and can do a number of things, as it relates to the health of the computer. A few examples are provided below:

• Make a computer run slowly

• Prevent computers from booting up

• Damage parts of the system or amend how the system operates without the owner’s knowledge

• Be used to steal personal details

• Move from machine to machine on a network

• Attack other machines using machine as a host

• Send out unauthorized messages

So, like a human virus a computer virus can be dangerous and possibly infectious to other computers. They can be spread between computers, and can also be transported via email. It is not limited to software however, as they can also be transported via USB drives and other types of media.

Where Does a Computer Viruses’ Come From?

Computer viruses are usually malicious computer programs written in order to damage other people’s machines or steal information or even cash. They are usually highly skilled programmers who have decided to use their skills in a negative manner. Some viruses are written as an “ego” boost. In other words, some programmers write these things just to prove that they can hack into a major site or obtain private information. However, there are also criminal programmers who have a much more devious intention.

What Types of Virus Are There?

Sometimes the definition of what constitutes a virus is not clearly defined. In general a virus almost always damages files on a computer. Some other types of malicious software such as spyware are used to steal information from the user but may not damage the computer.

Types of virus include:

• Worms: These are programs which copy themselves to other computers on a network. They tend to slow things down as they consume more and more bandwidth or computer resources.

• Trojans: Performs functions (sometimes malicious) on the computer without the knowledge of the user (Think of the horse of Troy)

• Malware: Technically, this is not classed as a virus. It is software used to spy on computer user’s activities and collect personal information. More commonly known as “spyware”.

So What Does Antivirus Software Do?

Antivirus software is the “policeman” at the gate of a computer system. It protects the computer from incoming threats and seeks out, destroys and warns of possible threats to the system. New viruses are coming out all the time. It is the job of the antivirus software to keep up with the latest threats. This is achieved by daily updates of the antivirus database definitions, which counteract the latest threats to provide constant protection.

Antivirus Software is Vital!

Not having anti virus on a computer is like inviting a criminal into the home or having an uninvited guest! They then cause havoc or steal from the owner. Today’s internet has provided many ways for virus attacks and there are thousands of threats. To be safe from these it is vital to police the computer and have it protected at all times. The Importance of Antivirus Software cannot be underestimated.