IT Solutions

August 2008
In this issue

Business Interruption
Planning
Protect Your Network
Power of "Thank You"
Backup Data
Top Ten Cyber Threats

The Security Corner. . .

Here are the top ten cyber threats as defined by local law enforcement.

The Top Ten
Cyber Threats

• Increasingly sophisticated web site attacks that exploit browser vulnerabilities - especially on trusted web sites

• Increasing sophistication and effectiveness in Botnets

• Cyber espionage efforts by well resourced organizations looking to extract large amounts of data - particularly using targeted phishing

• Mobile phone threats, especially against iPhones and Android-Based phones; and VOIP

• Insider attacks (rogue employees)

• Advanced identity theft from persistent Bots

• Increasingly malicious Spyware

• Web application security exploits

• Increasingly sophisticated social engineering including blending Phishing with VOIP and event Phishing

• Supply chain attacks infecting consumer devices (USB, GPS, Photo Frames, Intentional Distribution)

"If all the cars in the United States were placed end to end, it would probably be Labor Day Weekend."

-Doug Larson

1032 11th Street
Modesto, CA 95354
Voice: (209) 578 9739
800 845 4628
Fax: (209) 578 5463

Business Interruption Planning Not Just for Big Business:
10 misconceptions about disaster recovery

Paul Sullivan has seen it all. A 25-year veteran of disaster recovery and business continuity management, Sullivan witnessed the growth of continuity planning among the Fortune 1000 in the 1980s. He watched, first hand, the successes and failures of business continuity plans following the events of September 11, 2001 and in 2005 throughout the most active hurricane season in recorded history.

Today, Sullivan is helping small and medium-sized companies plan for and recover after significant business interruptions.

“Continuity planning has always been associated with big business,” said Sullivan, Vice President and General Manager, Agility Recovery Solutions. “We’re using the same knowledge, strategies and tactics we developed with the Fortune 1000 and implementing them among small and medium-sized businesses across North America.”

Agility Recovery Solutions, a former division of General Electric, focuses planning and recovery efforts on small and medium-sized businesses, though the company continues to do work with giants such as IBM and HP.

Why Business Continuity? Why now?

Protecting Your Network from Home Wireless Hackers

As the lines between home and business computing continue to blur, even the enterprise IT administrator needs to be concerned with their employee’s security practices on their home wireless network.

The last thing you want is for a hacker to compromise your employee’s computer via an under-secured home wireless connection, and then quickly and efficiently travel down that handy remote user VPN tunnel straight into your business’ network. Educating employees on the secure use of wireless home networks can be as simple as reviewing the practices of “SAFE WIFI.”

S	SID Broadcasting “OFF”
A	ctivate WPA2 encryption & authentication
F	irewalls (and especially proxy-based firewalls) are best
E	mploy strong passwords

W	eb controls
I	nactivate “automatically connect to non-preferred networks.”
F	ilter MAC addresses “ON”
I	PSEC VPN as remote connection to the office

The Power Of Saying Thank You

The wheels of business revolve with such spin and speed these days that we roll right over the courtesies. Who has time for quaint customs?

More to the point, who can afford to let competitors rush onto the new and the next while we slow down for pleasantries? You're in for a surprise. The advice that follows, rest assured, is not some lecture about society's loss of grace (not that I couldn't get into that). This is about leveraging an underutilized edge in the marketplace.

Today, extending old-time courtesies helps you stand out. Yes, boys and girls, saying "thank you" has become a competitive advantage. So few people express appreciation — a Lenox etiquette poll found that nearly five out of every 10 people don't always say thanks — that remembering to do so is a sales point of difference. It also goes a long way toward forging the relationships that can turn into opportunities.

Here are fast and affordable ways to show business gratitude, as well as tips about timing and tactics. Your takeaway: Don't underestimate the power of saying thanks.

The Easiest, Fastest and Safest Way to Reliably
Backup Important Business Data

What is rfolder?

rfolder is an automated data backup and restoration system providing powerful tools to protect important data. Unlike traditional data protection tools, rfolder does not require any human assistance beyond the initial installation and setup. There is no media to install, remove, protect, or replace. rfolder is highly secure and only the user has access to their stored data. We call it, eSafe, eSimple, and eSecure!

Your valuable data is encrypted and stored at an rfolder secure data center. Without your password, no one else can read or use your confidential information. Not even the staff at rfolder.

How Does rfolder Work?

rfolder installs a small client software application on the local computer to manage all of the data protection and restoration. After the data you want to protect is easily identified, rfolder encrypts and compresses this data and then transfers a master copy to an rfolder data center. A simple and unobtrusive way to deal with an important issue. Call Mark Davis at 209-578-9739 for more information.