Tag Archives: Stamford (Connecticut)

Secure Your PCs for Free

Given the state of the economy, many small and mid-sized businesses and small office, home office (SOHO) workers might be tempted to trim essential services, such as anti-virus and anti-spyware protection, firewall, spam detection, and offsite back-up. The question isn’t whether or not you can afford security software — rather, it’s can you afford not to? Don’t fret, there is an alternative. Free software exists Rather than putting your company’s data at risk by not doing anything at all, consider a handful of downloadable tools that offer protection for your PC, without costing your company a dime. “Free is the best four-letter word in the English language” for small and mid-sized businesses, says Steve Hilton, vice president for small and mid-sized business and enterprise research at the Boston, Mass.-based Yankee Group. “Try out free solutions and talk with someone who’s already used the product to avoid any gotchas.” What “gotchas,” you ask? Hilton says free software is free for a reason. “The vendor might support the free product, hoping you’ll upgrade to the pay-version, or some vendors rely on ad-sponsored revenues to support free products.” But in some cases the software might conflict with your operating systems or applications on your PC, adds Hilton. “Therefore, the best idea is to work with your tech advisor or IT department to make sure you won’t have any unfortunate surprises, because free software often doesn’t come with vendor-provided tech support.” Not everyone believes these free options are a good idea for your business. “While most of these tools, such as free anti-malware, are very good for consumers I don’t think they are a good idea” for businesses, says Peter Firstbrook, research director for information, security and privacy at Gartner, a Stamford, Conn.- headquartered technology market research firm. “They key requirement for business is centralized management and reporting and that is absent from these tools,” explains Firstbrook, and “in some solutions commercial use is specifically prohibited by the license agreement.” Recommended freebies Anti-virus software is important to safeguard your PC from the latest threats out there in cyberspace, which usually make their way into your e-mail inbox. Without anti-virus detection, all it takes is for you or an employee to click on an attachment, such as an .exe file, causing an immediate infection and perhaps propagating itself through your contacts list (and yes, your clients and customers will just love that). On a related note, spyware refers to other “malware” (malicious software) that can do everything from slow down your PC and spy on your Internet surfing behavior to causing inappropriate pop-up ads and hijacking your browser’s home page or toolbar. Some of the anti-virus software programs experts recommend include the award-winning AVG Free and Avast!, while competent anti-spyware tools include Windows Defender and Ad-Aware 2008 Free. On a related note, make sure you have a powerful firewall and intrusion detection to protect your PC from predators, such as Personal Firewall by Sunbelt or Comodo Firewall. Online storage Backing up important files is critical — but saving them to a local external hard drive, USB thumb-stick, or recordable DVD means they’re still vulnerable to theft, fire, or flood. It’s no wonder, then, why many companies prefer to upload data to a secure offsite location. An added advantage to these online back-up and storage solutions is the ability to access those files anywhere in the world you’ve got an Internet connection. While some services let you back a couple of gigabytes for free, such as MozyHome, Microsoft gives you up to 5GB of free storage per month with its Windows Live SkyDrive. All that’s required to use this password-protected virtual drive is a Windows Live I.D. (a Hotmail e-mail address will do). And if you need to send large files to someone — such as sending a huge PDF to a coworker or client — you can set up a separate folder on Windows Live SkyDrive only for shared files. Spam protection Spam, or unsolicited junk mail, isn’t just a productivity drain as you and your employees can spend hours deleting these unwanted messages per week, but often they contain viruses, spyware, or phishing attempts that try to lure you to authentic-looking websites to steal your identity for financial gain. If you use Microsoft Outlook, however, a free plug-in program called SPAMfighter dramatically reduces the amount of junk mail you get by segregating suspicious messages and dropping it into a folder. It catches quite a bit (with few “false positives,” meaning it thinks mail is spam when it’s not) and doesn’t slow down your PC. A word of warning: while free, SPAMfighter adds a “signature” to the end of your outgoing e-mails that is meant to spread the word about the software (and no, you can’t remove it), plus the company hopes you’ll upgrade to the paid version with additional bells and whistles.

Secure Your PCs for Free

Road-Ready: Printing on the Go

E-mail has made paper printouts obsolete in most cases and just about every hotel has a business center with a printer, so why would anyone need a portable printer? Most people don’t, but there are some professions where it comes in quite handy. “The people who really need a mobile printer are people who are doing something on the road and need a document right on the spot,” says Ken Weilerstein, vice president of research for print markets for Gartner, a Stamford, Conn. IT research firm. Such instances include financial advisors, insurance reps, lawyers — anyone who needs to produce a document on the fly for signing purposes or to leave something with a customer (as a realtor might do with a set of specs on a house.) Why not just use a hotel’s business center printer? “They might be 10 blocks from their house,” Weilerstein says of the potential user. “There’s a lot of important business that gets transacted in people’s living rooms.” Options for portable printers Those in the market can find a decent range of options. Standard battery-operated portable printers from Canon and Hewlett-Packard are the size a lunchbox and a weight of 4.5 lbs. But the Polaroid PoGo Instant Printer is literally the size of a wallet. While the entry costs aren’t too steep — you can get one for $200 or so — the operating costs can run about four times that of a laser printer for an average of about four cents a page. As with all printers, the initial cost is just one piece of the overall outlay — those replacement ink cartridges can add up. There are other trade offs for a smaller form factor as well. Though the motors for these printers have improved dramatically over the past few years, they’re still not as fast as, say, a laser printer. And they are usually limited to a paper size of 4 x 6, 5 x 7 or, in the case of the PoGo, 2 x 3 inches. But battery life is fairly decent — Hewlett-Packard’s HP OfficeJet H470 mobile printer can print up to 480 pages on a single charge while Canon’sPixma iP100 can go up to 280 pages on a charge. In light of such limitations, the appeal is really limited to those who need to print on the fly. Brother also has a whole line of portable printers, including ultra lightweight varieties, which can fit in the pocket. “It’s essentially a niche,” Weilerstein says of the market. Printing without a laptop Another related niche is portable photo printers, which appeal to photographers, contractors and real estate agents, among others according to Chris Sabin, product manager for Epson’s PictureMate line. “It’s a nice way to put something right in someone’s hands,” Sabin says. Such printers also appeal to those who don’t store everything digitally. “A lot of people still keep hard copy files,” he says. Since they don’t need a laptop, such printers are even more portable than standard mobile printers. A 3.6-inch display on Epson’s models, which work off memory cards, let users see what they’re about to print. Photo printers are a niche within a niche, Weilerstein says. “It really is in a business sense something you’d use in a very specific situation,” he says.

Google’s Android: Phones for Your Business?

If Google can secure a fraction of its success in the smartphone space as it has on the Web, watch out BlackBerry, Apple, and Windows Mobile. The Mountain View, Calif.-based search giant has just launched its much-hyped Android mobile phone platform, powering the HTC T-Mobile G1 handset ($179 U.S., with two-year contract). This smart-looking smartphone features a large touch screen that resembles an iPhone to some extent, but it also houses a BlackBerry-like trackball and slide-out QWERTY keyboard. But what makes Android special might be less obvious to the casual observer. Unlike other smartphone platforms — such as those offered by Research in Motion, Apple, and Microsoft — Google’s Android is an “open” operating system given to developers for free to create applications. “There was no good reason why it shouldn’t do things your PC can do,” says Erick Tseng, product manager for Android at Google. “This isn’t just about Google, but rather the amazing third-party applications created by developers with unfettered access to the phone’s hardware, software and network.” Beyond the hype If you’ve been caught up in any of the hype surrounding G1, you’ll sense it’s geared towards (and generated by) the consumer space, opposed to a corporate crowd. Tseng, however, confirms Android is also ideal for businesses. “First of all you’ve got all the Google apps you’re used to such as Gmail, Calendar, Maps, and such, all offered for free and with the same login as your desktops,” says Tseng. “Because of this synchronous online connectivity between mobile and desktops, all your data ‘automatically’ updates for both devices since it’s the same account.” Second, Tseng says developers who are creating applications for the G1 and future Android phones can design and build something specifically tailored to their business. “Because we’re open, we encourage third-parties to create and upload your own apps to your own secure website and have employees download it onto the phone.” Along with integrated GPS, the G1 includes a built-in compass, an industry first, which will allow a savvy software company to create a “mash-up,” suggests Tseng, by fusing this technology with the integrated Google Maps program for better driving directions, satellite imagery, and navigation to local businesses. Not everyone agrees While the potential is there, many analysts don’t believe the Android platform is right for small or mid-sized businesses. “Android is not a business platform,” maintains Ken Delaney, vice president of mobile computing at the Gartner research and consulting group in Stamford, Conn. “It is squarely targeted at consumers.” “Business platforms have stability and strong interoperability or security as their hallmark; the two business platforms are RIM and Microsoft with Symbian S60 under Nokia as another alternative.” “While the G1 might be fine for a SOHO [small office, home office] worker who can use this for both a personal and business lifestyle,” says Nathan Dyer, senior analyst for enterprise mobility at the Boston, Mass.-based Yankee Group, he doesn’t believe that it’s necessarily geared for small or mid-sized businesses — or even larger enterprises. “It’s an exceptional device with loads of potential, and the openness is amazing, but the G1 is not business tool, primarily because there is no corporate e-mail, no support for Microsoft Exchange or Domino or any other server-based e-mail,” says Dyer. Google’s Tseng says Microsoft Exchange and Active Sync support “will happen” on Android, unquestionably. “It will happen because there is huge demand out there,” he says. “In fact, the third-party community has started to work on this already so very soon you will see the emergence of some of these business-focused apps.”

Curb Costs of Mobile Device Management

More people are using iPhones, smart phones, and hand-held computers on the job, and if they aren’t now, they want to in the future. But introducing a whole new class of electronic devices into the office isn’t as easy as placing an order with IT, or letting employees bring their own smart phones to work. Ideally, a business should use the same management systems to host, maintain, and safeguard mobile devices that they use for their existing infrastructure of desktop PCs, according to sources in the mobile device management business. But smart phones and PDAs caught on so quickly the default at many companies has been to adopt entirely different tools for managing mobile devices — if they’re using any tools at all, according to the industry sources. That’s an expensive and possibly dangerous way to operate, according to the sources. It’s expensive because by duplicating efforts, companies are spending more time and money than they need to. In fact, duplication is one reason John Girard, a vice president and analyst with Gartner, the Stamford, Conn., technology researcher, estimates that companies spend close to $2,500 for each iPhone and hand-held device their employees use. It’s also dangerous, because if companies aren’t using the same measures to protect data on mobile devices that they use to secure information on desktop machines, they run the risk of allowing sensitive company information to leak out if the devices are lost or stolen. Security has become an even bigger concern recently because more companies are putting important business applications on smart phones, and because more viruses and other malicious software have begun popping up on the devices, says Shari Freeman, a product management director at Sybase iAnywhere, a division of Sybase that makes mobile device management services for large and small businesses. If companies aren’t thinking about merging the management systems they use for mobile and non-mobile devices now, they’ll have to soon enough, Freeman says. “There’s a general trend for employees to have one or more computing devices, so the need to manage those is increasing,” she says. Streamlining suggestions What can companies do? Find areas of duplication and decide what can be eliminated. According to Girard, companies commonly maintain separate systems for user authentication, firewalls, anti-virus, and software distribution for mobile and desktop devices. Determine which programs might be suitable for both and cut out the extras. Use an integrated management software application. A variety of vendors sell software that can manage all types of workplace devices, from desktops to smart phones. Some applications, such as Sybase iAnywhere’s Afaria software, are product agnostic, working with devices from multiple manufacturers and across a variety of functions. Others work with specific product brands or with select functions. They include Microsoft System Center Mobile Device Manager 2008 which integrates Windows Mobile 6.1 devices with Microsoft computer networks, Nokia Intellisync Device Management, which manages mobile devices from multiple manufacturers and Checkpoint Software Technologies, whose firewall and other security products work across all mobile and non-mobile devices. Make sure all types of devices can be accessed remotely. When it comes to security, put hand helds on the same platform as a desktop device, so IT staff can access them remotely to wipe a hard drive should they be lost or stolen, says Freeman, the Sybase iAnywhere executive. Don’t let employees use their own iPhones, smart phones or PDAs at work. Giving people the option of using their own devices or letting them load their own applications onto computer devices opens a can of worms. For starters, IT won’t know what’s on the device and that’s “potentially destructive to the platform, and you won’t have a record that the help desk can use as to what’s changed,” according to Girard. Plus, if they’re not taking adequate safety precautions and the devices are lost or stolen, your important company documents are at risk. According to Freeman, some companies are putting software on their networks that checks any device trying to log in to retrieve email and blocks anything that’s not pre-approved or doesn’t have the appropriate security safeguards.

Curb Costs of Mobile Device Management

Network Defense: Intrusion Prevention Systems

Here’s a quick network security quiz: When it comes to detecting and stopping IT threats, is it better to position intrusion prevention systems: On the network At particularly important devices on the network All of the above For small businesses, the correct answer is “All of the above,” according to IT security specialists, who say more small businesses are figuring that out and installing IPS accordingly. Network intrusion prevention systems (IPS) are hardware appliances that sit on a company’s intranet to inspect incoming Internet traffic and block anything malicious, be it a worm, virus, or spyware. IPS can also block attacks that originate inside an intranet. IPS complements firewalls, anti-virus software, and other security measures small businesses take to keep their networks safe, says Elisa Lippincott, a spokeswoman for TippingPoint, an Austin, Texas, IPS maker. “We have some customers using our box to protect their firewall,” Lippincott says. By contrast, host IPS works at the device level, doing its job from inside a server, desktop or other machine attached to a network. Although large companies have long relied on IPS for network security, more small businesses are starting to use it. They’re being propelled by technical upgrades that prevent the false alarms that previously dogged the appliances, as well as other improvements, such as behavior-based IPS that looks for traffic patterns that could signal an attack, according to security industry sources. Small and mid-sized businesses are also being pushed to using IPS by industry regulations that require it, such as the PCI Security Standards Council’s Data Security Standard, security measures any company that processes credit card payments have to follow, according to security industry sources. An updated version of the council’s standard is expected to debut this month. “We’ve seen tremendous interest down market driven by PCI” standards, says Michele Perry, chief marketing officer at Sourcefire, a Columbia, Md., network IPS vendor. Depending on the size of the business, small companies either buy and set up IPS themselves, or subscribe to it as an add on from their firewall vendor. They can also purchase it from a regional or national managed security services provider (MSSP) such as or Clone Systems, or from a business broadband carrier such as Verizon Business. Network IPS and host IPS Which ever way they go, small businesses should consider using both network and host IPS. Network IPS should come first because it casts the widest net, says Greg Young, research vice president with Gartner, the Stamford, Conn., technology researcher. With network IPS, if a virus is detected, the system will block traffic long enough to allow IT staff to make sure anti-virus software is up-to-date on individual workstations, says Lippincott, the TippingPoint spokeswoman. Another advantage of network IPS: since it’s installed on the network it doesn’t slow down individual devices’ computing speed the way host-based IPS could, Lippincott says. However, host IPS is a smart option for machines where critical information is stored, or for devices that have to reside outside a company’s firewall, such as servers used to handle online credit-card transactions. Host IPS is the only way to protect devices like laptops that leave the network, says Sean Martin, a vice president at SkyRecon Systems, a French maker of host IPS solutions. Host IPS also makes sense in situations where a company can’t put new devices on a network but can change what’s on a server, Gartner’s Young says. But put it on the network first, he says. “Threats come through the network first so stop them there first.” IPS prices range from free open source products such as Snort, which has been downloaded 3 million times, to tens of thousands of dollars for applications for mid-sized businesses running multiple Internet traffic-intensive applications for hundreds of users. Or companies can pay by the month or annually for IPS from a MSSP or other third party. Whether it’s network-based or host-based, small businesses need IPS, maybe even more than larger companies, Young says. “Worms don’t discriminate.” Sidebar: Intrusion Prevention Systems for Small Businesses The following vendors offer network or host IPS for small businesses as stand-alone products or part of a multifunction security solution: Check Point Software Technologies — The UTM-1 product line includes firewall, VPN, IPS, gateway antivirus, anti-spam, URL filtering, and IM and peer-to-peer blocking and is marketed primarily to the top end of mid-sized companies and branch offices of large companies. Cisco ASA Advanced Inspection and Prevention Module — An IPS hardware appliance for Cisco routers. According to Gartner’s June 2008 report on multifunction firewalls for small and mid-sized businesses, Cisco has struggled to adapt enterprise-scale hardware to small businesses, but the report says a long-term road map for an improved small business console “is encouraging.” Fortinet — A multifunction firewall appliance with antivirus, anti-spam, URL filtering, and IPS services offered by annual subscription after the first year. Secure Computing SnapGear — A multifunction network security device for small and mid-sized businesses. In late September, Secure Computing agreed to merge with McAfee, which offers the McAfee Network Security Platform. http://www.skyrecon.com/>SkyRecon Systems — Offers host IPS as part of a unified endpoint security solution. SonicWall — The multifunction network device maker offers IPS as an add-on to its TZ series for small and mid-sized businesses. Sourcefire — The commercial version of a pioneering open-source network IPS created by programmer Martin Roesch in 1998. “Snort is the engine and Sourcefire is the whole car put together,” says Perry, Sourcefire’s chief marketing officer. TippingPoint — Offers a behavior-based network IPS hardware appliance. WatchGuard Technologies — Offers a subscription antivirus, IPS service for its X Core E-Series multifunction network security devices for small and mid-sized businesses.

Tag Archives: Stamford (Connecticut)

Secure Your PCs for Free

Secure Your PCs for Free

Road-Ready: Printing on the Go

Google’s Android: Phones for Your Business?

Curb Costs of Mobile Device Management

Curb Costs of Mobile Device Management

Curb Costs of Mobile Device Management

Network Defense: Intrusion Prevention Systems

Curb Costs of Mobile Device Management

Network Defense: Intrusion Prevention Systems

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Tag Archives: Stamford (Connecticut)

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