How About Information Assurance - The Availability Attribute

Information Assurance assigns systems to shield data and the computer systems they reside on, and the transmission approaches processed to transmit the data. Availability is certified by requiring an impeccable and prompt avenue to information services and information only for entrusted users. By achieving consistency of the material and data structures of the operating system, hardware, software and filed material and analytical accuracy, entirety and dependability, integrity is guaranteed. Integrity can also assure against unauthorized deletion of information. Information assurance also certifies acceptance by guaranteeing the certainty of a communication or a document and its producer, and also by substantiating an individual's approval to accept explicit data from the architecture. Confidentiality is preserved by only exposing information to trusted organizations or systems. Non-repudiation is included, which is ensuring evidence of delivery to the transmitter of material and supporting validation of identity to the receiver, to require neither recipient can afterwards debate having processed the data. Information Assurance also accounts for additional fundamentals to include reconstruction of information systems by assembling protection, detection, and reaction qualifications.

Information Assurance furnishes availability by furnishing up-to-date and impeccable access to information and information services for entrusted users. The users need have reliable avenue to all hardware, software, services and information. Often availability is also assessed in terms of what is attainable to just mission-critical processes, but it need also be evaluated for the comprehensive system.

Design theories that promote availability can be incorporated into the system. Elements and subsystems need be able to be gracefully restarted at will. Subsystems and elements have to be independent of each other and adhere to an open architecture. Subordinately critical missions or functions should be uncoupled from more crucial ones, as well as more risky functions from those that are less risky. Networks, processes, and information assembly can also be optimized for mission availability. The architecture can be securely executed for increased availability so that platforms, software and architecture are produced as services such as cloud computing. Cloud computing can support additional availability owing to proficient usage of assets and making individual disruptions imperceptible to the user. The redundance of services like these make the architecture more tolerable of failures and unavailabilities.

Timeliness, connected to Quality of Service (QoS), is notable since belated might be equally as bad as not at all. Resource allotment could be changed to adhere to timeliness requirements. There are repeatedly tradeoffs between QoS attributes and Information Assurance specifications.

Understanding How Data Packets Travel Across the Network

When troubleshooting IP networks over Ethernet it helps to understand how packets travel across the network. Packets use two different mechanisms to get from point A to Point B, or from the source to the destination. IP addresses and MAC addresses.

The MAC address is the layer 2 address that represents the specific hardware that is connected to the wire. The IP address is the layer 3 address that represents the logical identity of the device on the network.

MAC Address

Most every computer today has some sort of network interface card (NIC) either built-in or installed on the computer. Every NIC is created with a hardware number permanently "burned" into it. This permanent hardware number is known as the MAC (Media Access Control). MAC addresses are 48 bits in length and are usually displayed as a 12 digit hexadecimal number.

MM:MM:MM:HH:HH:HH

The first 24 bits (or 6 digits) represent the manufacturer of the NIC. The last 24 bits (6 digits) are a unique identifier that represents the Host or the card itself. No two MAC identifiers are alike.

IP Address

The IP address is the logical address that is associated with the MAC for a particular device. IP addresses (IPv4) are a 32 bit (12 digit) number representing 4 binary octets.

Both an IP and a MAC are needed for data to travel across an Ethernet network.

The ARP Protocol

When a computer sends data over the network, it first needs to find which route it must take. Will the packet stay on the network or does it need to leave the network. The computer first determines this by comparing the subnet mask to the destination ip address.

Once this destination is known, Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) is used to find the next hop on the network. ARP's job is to basically discover and associate IP addresses to the physical MAC.

For a packet that has a destination on another network, ARP is used to find the MAC of the gateway router. An ARP packet is sent to the gateway router asking for it's MAC. The router reply's back to the computer with it's mac address. The computer will then forward the packet directly to the mac address of the gateway router.

When the gateway router receives the packet it will remove it's mac address as the destination and replace it with the mac address of the next hop router. It will also replace the source computer's mac address with it's own mac address. This happens at each route along the way until the packet reaches it's destination.

Going Postal - An Example

Let's use the postal service to help explain this. Think of this process like taking a letter and stuffing it in an envelope. Then take that envelope and stuff it in another envelope addressed to the local post office. The post office then takes out the inner envelope, to determine the next stop on the way, puts it in another envelope with the new destination.

Way Find The Best Wireless Router Deals

Finding the best wireless router deals is not a simple matter of driving down to the local electronics store and picking up whatever is on sale. There are many things to consider and you don't want to make a hasty choice that you may regret later. Most people don't want to get into the details of making this decision because sorting through all the different wireless routers and their various features can be like trying to learn a new language.

In this article I'm going to show you an easy way to choose which wireless router is best for you and provide a resource that makes the process even easier. There are two things you need to take into consideration when shopping for the best wireless router deals.

They are:

1. What type of network user are you? Are you a Surfer? A Streamer? Or a Gamer? (More on these below.)

2. Future proofing. Sure any cheap run-of-the-mill router may do fine for just a computer or two and maybe a printer, but if you think there's a remote possibility you'll be adding more wireless devices to your network in the near future you'll probably need to upgrade sooner rather than later. When you look at it from this perspective you are actually saving money by getting a good wireless router to start off with instead of being forced to upgrade every time you buy new wireless devices.

Types of Network Users

I like to break these down into three groups: Surfers, Streamers and Gamers.

Surfers

Surfers are satisfied with checking their emails, shopping online, printing out documents and maybe downloading the occasional music or movie file. Network users like this don't spend a lot of time on their computer and only use it when they have to. Any run-of-the-mill Wireless N router is fine for Surfers because they don't put much load on a wireless network and probably never will.

Streamers

These are your movie and music lovers. They love to find large files online, download them to a central computer or media server, and then stream them out to all the other computers on their network. This requires a wireless router that has additional memory and processor power. A built-in USB drive port for sharing out files is also a good idea.

Gamers

Gamers usually put the same amount of demand on a wireless network as Streamers do, but with an important difference. Surfers and Streamers can ruin a wireless network for Gamers who, in turn, can make living in the same household miserable for everyone else. The slightest drop in connection won't really bother a surfer, but the same drop in connection is a cataclysmic event for a Gamer. Hours of progress spent on a role-playing game can be lost in a few seconds or the main character in a 1st person shooter can suddenly become an easy target.

Tech Jobs and Cloud Computing

Being able to access information from your home, office, school, etc. is something that is becoming more and more of a reality. It's a result of cloud computing. This innovation makes it possible for people to access whatever is important them without being tied to their computer. So, if you want to share a document, photo, video, or even music clips with friends and family, you can do so no matter where you are.

If you are trying to make a decision on a future career choice, becoming proficient in the cloud-computing field can make your search for tech jobs even easier. That's because there aren't many people that can say they have extensive experience with this quickly emerging industrial science. Careers of the past, such as help desk technician are quickly fading. Many people are familiar with computers, the Internet, social media, and more, and the need for someone to walk you through computer basics is becoming obsolete.

People want information quickly and almost immediately. Deciding to pursue tech jobs in cloud computing can set you on a path to a bright future. More and more companies will be requesting individuals that can manage cloud projects. The good thing is that many industrial science experts already possess some of the skills needed in order to work well in the cloud-computing field. Some of these skills involve making sure business systems are set up with secure information systems, data integrity, proper networking and more. In addition, the right candidate will understand the importance of aligning business and information technology to ensure things run smoothly.

Also, when pursuing tech jobs in the cloud-computing field, a company's needs can vary greatly. This means, some businesses may look for someone that has worked as a system's analyst and also knows coding. Or, on the other hand, another company may be in need of a technical writer that can help get the process down step by step because it doesn't matter how great the idea is if it can't be implemented properly.

Training Support Services for Optimal Course Design

In corporate training every learning programme has varying goals, objectives, strategies, budgets and audiences and therefore training preparation and delivery is critical. Conducting a Training Needs Analysis (TNA) is vital to developing, designing and delivering a course to meet your specific needs. While instructional design and learning theory is important for training course development, experience usually adds a key factor to develop best practice. A specialised blend of training expertise and learning technology is required to provide the most cost effective support service.

The good news is that you are not alone and expert Training Support Services can be engaged to assist you in developing a training solution that will be most appropriate for your environment. Using these services can prevent you from designing courses that are seemingly wonderful but nobody takes them or has fascinating content that teaches your audience nothing new or relevant. The underlying business goal in all training courses is to increase revenue and /or reduce costs. The greater the expected revenue the more budget can be set aside to fund the learning programme development.

Well-developed training programmes can assist organisations with productivity, job satisfaction, retention rates, error rates and customer satisfaction. Measuring the impact and effectiveness of a training programme is critical and metrics should be decided on when a course is designed so that they can be gauged before, after and for an extended period after the training has taken place. Participant feedback is also an integral part of the process as 'softer' elements such as cultural dynamics, values and best-fit for an organisation can be elicited from their responses.

When designing training programmes for adult learners an important point to consider during planning is that they come with a wide range of experiences, knowledge, interests, skills and competencies and this diversity must be accommodated. Adults prefer courses with 'real-world' applications where the training relates to their daily activities and teaches them relevant skills to develop in their environments. Knowledge transfer must be facilitated in the training process and learner interaction and coaching as well as other follow-up support processes is important for sustained learning.

Ways To Protect Your Data Online And Offline

The online world grows stronger and stronger with each passing year. Keeping your data safe both online and offline requires vigilance. Just as there are always improvements being made to enhance the way people do business online, there are people knowledgeable enough to abuse that technology for purposes of identity theft and other forms of cyber terrorism. If you really want to make the online experience the best that it can be now and in the long term, then you need to consider the following best ways to protect data, both online and off.

1) Encryption technologies

Your hosting provider and software that you use to build and develop your website should work in agreement with one another to stay on top of the latest in encryption technologies. You don't want your users to suffer as a result, so make sure that it doesn't affect usability, but at the same time be vigilant about what you have in place to protect you from harm.

2) Content control

Certain documents and writings should not be released to the public, so make sure that you have set content control standards in place that limit access to only the things you wish for the public to see. As far as other content is concerned, make sure that you trust the people, who are representing you, and keep vital things close to the vest at all times.

3) Personal information

Never ever ever share personal information across non-secure locations. Social security numbers, passwords, and other pertinent financial information should be off limits. You may even wish to partner with an outside firm that specializes in protecting personal data, just to ensure some kind of security with regards to your insurance.

4) Accessibility

Passwords remain one of the strongest things that you can have in the fight against online crooks. But you've got to be smart about how you use them to be effective. It is recommended that you use a different password for all of your important emails and accounts, and that you store these passwords in a notebook instead of the desktop on your computer. Cyber thieves are way too advanced in how they are able to break on to computers and make them available for their own personal use. You may even be sharing your hard drive with a thief and not know it. So if it has any direct or indirect tie to your reputation or finances, then you should probably forgo sharing it or storing it on modern technological devices.

Know More About Your Managed IT Services Provider

One thing you have to know about IT is that it is never stagnant. Everyday, new discoveries are being made and new technology are introduced. And to make room for these new technologies, companies must be able to adjust by accommodating all the changes that these new technologies require. Normally, this would be hard for a company who employs hundreds of people to do. However, with the help of a managed IT services provider, adjustments are not only easy but also refreshing.

Part of the responsibilities of a managed IT services provider is to make sure that a company adjusts to a new technology with ease. They do so by developing IT strategies that will suit the business type and business model of their clients. This, in theory is difficult considering there are so many types of businesses and business models employed in the market. However, this is where the true strength of IT service companies lie. They employ not just IT experts but also business authorities that help them analyze their clients businesses.

That being the case, these managed IT services providers are able to deliver high quality equipments, services and software programs that enhance the capabilities of their clients' businesses to produce high quality outputs without the high cost of production.

Aside from making sure businesses are always up to date with the current technology in the market, these IT service providers also take charge of very important system tasks: scheduled network and system checks, data back up, information retrieval, patch management and troubleshooting.

Through the routine network and system checks that they perform, they are able to discover potential issues that you might encounter and provide IT solutions that will prevent these issues from surfacing. These will also help them analyze how your system and network security is faring against web attacks. Should they encounter loopholes and exploits that web attacks can gain access to, they can easily reinforce your security without hampering your company's activities.

The routine data back ups are done to ensure that you will never have to lose important data anymore. It also guarantees that if your systems encounter issues that will prevent it from functioning well, you will never experience down times since your system's back up can easily be restored. Instead of having to wait days for your system to be up and running, you only have to wait for a few minutes or a few hours for your system to function normally again.

Three Good Reasons Not To Ban P2P File Sharing In Your Business

Any business owner who has experienced having their network crippled by having unwanted intruders brought on by Peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing will want to ban their its use from their network. It's only natural to protect your resources from any and all threats that hamper productivity and cost money. But what if protecting your resources means that you are ignoring some key benefits to your business?

P2P file sharing has some great business advantages:

    Get information farther quicker - The idea behind peer-to-peer file sharing is sharing information. With the right infrastructure in place, businesses can interact with partners and vendors around the world regardless of time differences. Imagine working late needing specs for a presentation and realizing that the Rome office had an older version while the Cadiz office had the latest changes. Despite the time difference between each of these locations, having access to these files whenever you need them contributes to increased productivity and a healthy bottom line.

    More demands equal more capacity - Any server that experiences more demand is prone to bottlenecking, which means that higher demands for information mean slower network. With P2P file sharing, the more demand on the system, the more peers are present the higher the total system capacity. The original content distributor does not have to worry about adding more memory or getting a bigger server because there is more demand

    Reduce the risk of network crash - Network crashes are paralyzing to say the least. The worst part is when the network crash is fixed, the paralysis changes to frustration as the network slowly crawls. With P2P file sharing the whole network doesn't crash just because one computer crashes. If one peer on the network malfunctions, there are other peers from which you can get information. P2P file sharing systems have built in redundancy which makes them more reliable in the event of a crash.

In order for these advantages to be felt, businesses need to have proper controls in place

    How will file sharing will be used by your business? - Finding out how P2P is relevant to your business is key. Working with outside vendors, remote contractors these are some of the factors to consider.

    Set up and test the P2P's system integrity - Once you realize the value of P2P file sharing for your business, setting it up is just one part of the equation. Testing the integrity of the system and making sure it is fully compliant with information security standards is essential.

    Establish procedures and guidelines about what types of file sharing is permitted - Now that you have the system in place, what are the rules? Having easy to understand, enforceable procedures and guidelines brings everything together.

    Train all employees, vendors, contractors - Whether they are in-house and outsourced all who need access to your company's information need to be trained thoroughly on how to use this new system.

Six Cloud Computing Security Topics

As cloud computing grows, and even more businesses contemplate moving their operations in to the cloud, one of the greatest concerns that is raised many times is security. Is the cloud really secure?

The fact is that storing your information in your cloud is really just like, or even more, secure than keeping your information in traditional infrastructure. Like traditional infrastructure, however, as a good customer in addition to a professional you need to take into account a long list of security checkpoints. These checkpoints represent possible cracks in your own cloud infrastructure security, and you'll just want to shore these up to keep your information as secure as it can be.

Your Staff

Unfortunately, the leading threats to both cloud hosting and traditional security will often be the ones right under your nose. Hire staff who're trustworthy and depend on your own instincts. Don't be reluctant to evaluate your employees for proper usage of internet resources. Create pro-security polices, train your employees on these polices, and enforce them.

Passwords

Your employees must protect their passwords. Put together your IT system making sure that regular password changes are normal and encourage strong, complex passwords. Weak passwords provide straightforward accessibility for individuals that want to get hold of your confidential information.

Firewalls

Establish strong software and hardware firewalls to maintain your information secure and out of the hands of people which do not have business with it. This might require blocking popular websites from employee use. Don't be reluctant to do this. Surfing the Internet really should not be a choice during the clock.

Data Backup

Cloud hosting enables all your data to be backed up. If you want to leave some data off the cloud, however, it's going to be vital that you keep a tightly secured system for backup. Off-site backup is usually the safest option within this scenario.

Software Patches

No matter what which operating-system that you are running, every software package used in your corporation ought to be kept up-to-date by installing patches as they're released from your software provider. Software that is not properly patched will not likely protect against the most up-to-date virus and is practically a door for individuals that aspire to access your confidential information.

Access Control

Cloud hosting is often a fabulous way of storing data, but it is useless if care is not used to protect outlets and control access. Mobile devices allow it to become simple to work from practically any location, but when they're left unsecured, they provide for easy access to anybody who comes to take them. If you choose to allow staff to gain access to the cloud using their personal devices, create policies surrounding these devices. Require password access and train employees to respect security protocols.

Closing

You may want to review Wikipedia's section on cloud computing security. They have a wealth of information and resources for your education.

Credit Card Machines: Latest Smartphone Trends

A good number of business owners are still tied up to land bound credit card machines. They say when the music changes, the dance tune follows suit. Whether you are a small scale retailer, a salon owner or even a food joint owner, you need to have this machine because without them, you don't know how much sales you are missing. However, the in thing is not just owning one, but having a portable and reliable one fit for all your credit card transactions. With the latest inventions of mobile payment hardware such as smart phones, credit card processing has become incredibly easy and fast. With just a few clicks, you carry out your transactions. You don't have to withstand those extremely long, tiring queues as it was some few years ago.

A number of recent mobile payment software and tools now let you carry out your credit card transactions in an Android set, an iPhone and a dumber handset. All you need is a card reader hardware, and you can process your credit card. You will have to pay a particular amount of fees for each transaction together with the routine fee of your merchant account. Other payments include the initial card reader hardware cost, a flat fee for each transaction, and perhaps an extra monthly fee. This type of mobile hardware payment is suitable for mobile business owners who are supposed to do a lot of transactions on a daily basis. Some prefer to take up a wild card service that charges more per transaction while completely eliminating monthly fees.

No matter the difference in make and applications, most Smartphone devices that allow the utilization of a credit card, have the same basic functionality. The most popular applications and devices are Square, Roam Pay hardware, Phone Transact iMerchant Pro, Pay Ware Mobile and Intuit Go payment. All these are relatively affordable, easy to set up and utilize. Moreover, you can store all your credit transactions online. Some devices like Intuit Go payment do not include a card swiper. On the contrary, you are allowed to enter the card's number and proceed with all your card processing. All these transactions are data encrypted hence security is fully assured. Furthermore, if you have constant emergencies, these devices should be your preferred choice.

The decision to take up lower transaction fees but higher monthly charges or higher transaction fees and lower or no monthly charge is entirely yours. If you run a business with many transactions a day, then you ought to take the first option. However, if you need occasional transactions, not necessarily daily, then you ought to go for the latter option. Although these mobile payment hardware options may cost you more, their reliability and efficiency is indispensable. They can increase your sales by a great percentage. You don't have to put up with that land bound credit card machine anymore, given the choices for better machines. It is high time to ditch that old credit card machine, and get a new smart phone for greater and happier returns.