The Little Geeni

As a business consultant, web designer and photographer my technical know-how around doing system administration on my Microsoft desktop is limited and sometimes I do require the assistant of my computer engineering son to get it right. In a Microsoft Environment, keeping updated with respect to potential security breaches and patches is a constant vigil. The rigor of keeping current with OS updates, Norton updates and Spyware updates is time consuming. Valuable business hours each week are spend and lost on this task of self-administration dictated by the Microsoft Operating Environment.

So with the purchase of an IBM T40 (a tough notebook), increasing system administration time was not an option. This alone forced an serious consideration of Linux as an alternative operating environment. That was five years ago. Now an established Linux user, I can clearly profess the capabilities and benefits of Linux for small and large businesses, especially, when it comes to notebook deployment.

What Linux variant is best for small business and notebook deployment in your company?

As a small and medium business development manager with Sun Microsystems, exposure to Linux and the debate around its viability was a daily event. Questioning and challenging the virtues of Open Source (FREE) Linux versus Licensed Linux versions like Red Hat and Novell SuSE continues to this day . After years of personal use of Open Source (Free) Linux, I can never go back to running the Microsoft Operating Environment on my notebook. And once you can get Linux versions of Quick books, Quick Tax and Picasa (now available on Linux), there is no reason to stay in that perpetual administrative nightmare world of Microsoft.

Having successfully deployed two Open Source Linux variants on my IBM T40 notebook over the last 5 years, a compelling comparison can be made between Fedora and Ubuntu. Fedora, the Open Source version of Red Hat, required the installation expertise of some Linux gurus from Belleville Ontario. It worked fine, but required some Linux ninja system administration every 6-9 months. Administration items applied during these visits included upgrades to Open Office (the open source version of Star Office), Linux OS fixes and new peripheral drivers. This, again, turned out to be a drain on my scarce time for doing real business.

Now the Linux called Ubuntu is installed on my notebook. Ubuntu by Canonical is a full Open Source Linux based on Debian Linux. Ubuntu is now available on Dell systems and Federal Governments are adding this Linux operating environment to their list of standard available OS’s for all desktop and notebook computers.

Right out of the gate, Ubuntu was simple to install. You could even bring down a trial copy to experience exactly how it would behave on your notebook before downloading and committing the Ubuntu OS environment to your machine. But the best part is that Ubuntu continuously keeps on top of OS and all related application software updates. Ubuntu has an Update Manager that magically appears in desktop tool bar. And with a simple click (and password) you are kept current on the latest versions of Ubuntu patches, any Linux application software you have installed from Canonical and Open Office upgrades.

With Linux rebooting your machine after an update is nearly non-existent.

Oh, as an added treat with Ubuntu, Ubuntu boots up on your machine in less than a minute. I still go get a coffee when my Microsoft desktop is booting up. An additional benefit of Ubuntu: there is no requirement for installing ant-virus and anti-spyware software. Ubuntu inherently repels these vial scourges of the internet.

With Ubuntu your system administration life will become simple and painless. You can spend more quality business hours selling and marketing.

Want to cut hidden costs in your organization that manifest themselves as Microsoft self-administration by your end users?

Ubuntu is a must for you or your IT folks to consider. Seriously consider, test and deploy.

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Network security auditing is one of the first steps in truly securing your computer or network environment. The purpose of network & security audits is to make sure that a company has followed the necessary steps for protecting its data. These audits usually involve a set of periodic, pro-active compliance and assurance procedures that help in the assessment of the security of the IT infrastructure of your organization.

The network & security audits encompass security architecture, security policy, and vulnerability assessment of  your information network. Many a time, these audits are performed by ethical hackers employed by the auditing companies on entire networks to assess the potential network vulnerabilities of your IT infrastructure. The ethical hacking team usually stimulates an attack without interrupting and damaging your crucial network services. This not only tests the network, but also the awareness and response of your company staff based on the assessment.

The professionals undertaking network & security audits create a detailed report of vulnerabilities and loopholes in your network security system, and also propose best practices for your network environment. The establishment of clear security policies and procedures would help you in better protection of your company’s information network by advising employees of expected conduct with regard to the proprietary information and use of company equipment.

Often, the term penetration test is used interchangeably with network & security audits. However, it is important to understand that both are not the same thing. Penetration Testing involves a very narrowly focused attempt to identify the security lapses in a critical resource like a firewall or Web server. Penetration testers usually look at one service on a network resource with minimum inside information.

On the other hand, network & security audits are systematic and measurable technical assessment of your organization’s security policy on a larger scale. The network auditors often work with the complete knowledge of the organization, sometimes even with inside information, for thorough understanding of the resources to be audited.

The network security auditors undertake their work through personal interviews, detailed examination of your operating system settings, vulnerability scans, proper analyses of network shares, and historical data. Their primary concern is how the security policies of your company, which form the foundation of an effective security strategy of any company, are actually used.

For getting more information on network consulting and Network & Security Audits, visit pronetexpert.com.

Computer Security Audits, Environment, Network, Secure, Security