Blog Archives
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Syndication
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February 24, 2010
Network Security: The Case Against Administrative Privileges
By New SignatureAt New Signature we work with our clients to ensure that their staff are not logging into computers with accounts that have administrative privileges. Allowing everyone to login to a Windows computer as a member of the Administrators group makes the system vulnerable to Trojan horses and other security risks. The simple act of visiting an Internet site or opening an e-mail attachment can be damaging to the system and cost a business in staff downtime and costly computer repairs. In addition, with administrative privileges the average user will also be able to install any program they desire, including peer-to-peer file-sharing programs. While these programs may seem innocuous, they in fact may create substantial security and data privacy issues.
An example of these risks is illustrated by the The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recent warning to nearly 100 organizations that personal information, including sensitive data about customers or employees, was being leaked on peer-to-peer file-sharing networks that had been installed on their networks. The FTC is urged recipients to take steps to control the use of P2P software on their networks. The agency pointed out that the data could potentially be used to commit identity fraud, corporate espionage or other crimes.
At New Signature we work with our clients to reduce network security issues through the careful management of administrative privileges and education. Our goal is to balance security with usability and ensure that these restrictions don’t restrict the ability to perform their work. There are many approaches to provide end users, even “power users” who need access to more computing functions than the average information worker, with the ability to fully utilize their Windows computers without their default user account having administrative privileges.
Contact New Signature today to learn more about how these approaches can increase your security and decrease the risk of data leakage.
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February 19, 2010
The Importance of Maintaining a Computer Network
By New SignatureNo kid likes to keep their room clean. Without supervision, soda and food will begin to pile up and before you know it you’re on the phone with the exterminator lying through your teeth as you say, “I don’t know how these bugs got in here!”
The same applies to the most mundane of security tasks: keeping systems fully patched on a regular basis. And just as bugs can do real damage to a house if not prevented, keeping unpatched systems in your network can expose your entire organization to real risk.
Beyond the hyped headlines of “data theft” and “state-sponsored cyber-crime” though, the most likely risk is ordinary data loss, corruption or systems not performing as they should. If a computer isn’t allowing a user to check their email because a patch wasn’t applied, it is cold comfort to a user that they “haven’t been compromised by a criminal”. They merely want their email to work. (more…)
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February 5, 2010
Modular IT Solutions and How Your Business Can Benefit From Them
By New SignatureOne of the key revolutions over the past 30 years has been the slow death of proprietary, closed systems. Building on an earlier theme I’d like to explore just exactly how far we’ve come in the technology world.
30 years ago most people worked with computers strictly on mainframes. The personal computer explosion hadn’t begun yet, save for a few hobbyists. If a company purchased “A” computer, it was an extraordinary capital investment. Furthermore, choosing one vendor over another meant locking in to not only the hardware, but the software and all the programs moving into the future. On the telephony side, systems were similar: you’d choose a vendor first, and then take what the vendor offered you. From financial systems to HR to filing, proprietary solutions dominated the field, and single-purpose equipment (e.g., a fax machine that just faxes, a calculator that merely does simple calculations on paper, no overlap between a “copier” and a “printer”, etc) was omnipresent. (more…)
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January 25, 2010
Improving Productivity
By New SignatureA time-tested way to improve performance of business processes is to increase transparency. A process that everyone can watch is a process people can comment on, suggest improvements, and determine if it even makes sense to be doing in the first place.
One of the ways New Signature can help your organization increase the transparency of its processes is to conduct a through process review with key stakeholders. In it, we will:
- outline the cyclical processes that take place each day, week and month;
- identify the review points, potential bottlenecks, and areas that are ill-defined;
- go over the existing documentation (as well as the process to update said documentation); and
- suggest potential changes (both on a technology and a process level) to speed changes.
The last point is important. Often the problems with a process are not simply a technology problem. Some vendors might come in and say “Purchase SharePoint Server!” as a potential solution without fully understanding all the facets of the challenges. At New Signature, before we make a recommendation we want to ensure that we know all the facts. Although Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 and Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 (and soon Microsoft SharePoint 2010) are great solutions, if the real flaw in the existing paper-based process is an overloaded manager, or an ill-defined review system, simply converting that system to a computerized model won’t solve the problem. Instead, we focus on the heart of the problem, and once solved, provide real recommendations for the best problems to fix. (more…)
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January 20, 2010
New York Times Reports “Simple Passwords Remain Popular, Despite Risk of Hacking”
By New SignatureIn July of 2009 New Signature published a post on network security (Network Security: Passwords vs. Passphrases) where we pushed for the use of more complex passwords and the use of passphrases to make this easier for the average person to use and remember. This morning (January 20, 2010) the New York Times published an article entitled “If Your Password Is 123456, Just Make It HackMe“. The article shows that weak passwords continue to be a substantial problem.
“According to a new analysis, one out of five Web users still decides to leave the digital equivalent of a key under the doormat: they choose a simple, easily guessed password like ‘abc123,’ ‘iloveyou’ or even ‘password’ to protect their data.” (more…)
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January 15, 2010
Microsoft Office 2010: Outlook
By New Signature
Continuing our Microsoft Office 2010 exploration, we come to Microsoft Outlook 2010, the most used application during the day. Some of the new features include:- Conversation View
- Multiple Mailbox Support
- 64-bit Support
- Online Archive Folders
- Mail Tips
- Search Folders
- Enhanced Calendar Functionality
For users of Google Mail, Conversation View may seem like a feature long overdue. By allowing multiple emails to be combined into a thread, reading large quantities of emails can be done in a much quicker manner. (more…)
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January 11, 2010
Microsoft Office 2010: Cool New Features
By New Signature
There are so many new features in the Microsoft Office 2010 suite, it’s difficult to narrow them down to a few highlights. But moving beyond the consistently cool Backstage view, here are some of the great new features in Office 2010 that work across all the products:- Same File Format
- Customizable Ribbon
- Save Screenshots
- Save to SkyDrive
- Co-authoring
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December 18, 2009
Microsoft Office 2010: PowerPoint
By New Signature
The most popular product in the Office suite has been PowerPoint. With PowerPoint 2010, the number of new features has grown significantly. Some of the more popular ones include:- Advanced Image Editing
- Embedded Video
- Video/Audio editing and formatting
- Multi-window support
- 64 bit edition
- Broadcast Slide Show
With advanced image editing, users can import images into PowerPoint decks and do a number of new tasks, including removing the background from images, and cropping photos in any number of new shapes. (more…)
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December 14, 2009
Microsoft Office 2010: Backstage View
By New Signature
Here at New Signature we’ve been testing the Office 2010 beta for several weeks now, and BackStage is single-handedly the best feature.First a bit of background on what led to BackStage. Microsoft has emphasized “customization” in its software packages, which allows users to drag toolbars to their hearts content, and often resulted in changes each time an application has been upgraded. Few would see any resemblence between Office 2007 and the original Word for DOS or Word for Mac. By far, the biggest change occurred with Office 2007′s decision to introduce “the ribbon”, a much larger menu system designed to allow users to quickly reach the features they need. (more…)
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December 7, 2009
Working Remotely During Weather Emergencies (Or All The Time!)
By New Signature
It’s holiday season again and all that cheer comes with a downside: an increased chance of weather emergencies such as snow or ice that can stop employees from safely getting to the office. Some of New Signature’s clients find that where possible and practical, letting employees work remotely can ensure that staff don’t have to take the day off just because they can’t travel to the office.As mentioned before, the introduction of Windows 7 and Server 2008 R2 couldn’t come at a better time. There are several key technologies we’re using to enable greater numbers of people to work remotely. These include: (more…)
