Net phone, or voice over internet protocol (VOIP) service providers are to be required to disclose any limitations or risks inherent in their services.
Read the BBC's article here
Friday, 30 March 2007
Monday, 26 March 2007
Internet safety
An interesting, but perhaps frightening, article on internet safety here. Frightening not for the usual reasons but for the fact that so many people seem to think that the onus is on someone else to keep them safe and secure on the internet! After all you don't feel it should be your bank's responsibilty to ensure your credit card is secure while it's in your wallet or purse do you? And if you hand it over in a restuarant to pay the bill and fall victim to a card fraud, is that your bank's fault?
Probably most internet frauds are in effect initiated by the user when they fall for a spoof website or a phishing emails, but there are plenty of instances. The article is quite lengthy but worth the read.
Probably most internet frauds are in effect initiated by the user when they fall for a spoof website or a phishing emails, but there are plenty of instances. The article is quite lengthy but worth the read.
Friday, 23 March 2007
There is still complacency about business continuity....
Businesses and public sector organisations in the UK are showing an “alarming level of complacency” when it comes to business continuity planning, according to a major research projects. The 2007 Business Continuity Management Survey indicates that only 48% have business continuity plans in place, dropping to 34% for smaller organisations.
The research, by the Chartered Management Institute, shows that even when firms have plans in place, organisations are failing to test that they actually work. Nothing like leaving it until you have an incident to find out your plan doesn't work!!
More than a third of organisations do nothing with their plans once developed, and 15% fail to act on any shortcomings they identify. “Events from the Carlisle floods to the London bombings and Buncefield explosion have clearly shown the vast range of impacts that emergencies can have. Yet despite these, there are still too many organisations with insufficient business continuity plans,” said Bruce Mann, director of civil contingencies at the cabinet office.
Although 61% of organisations outsource work to third parties, only 22% demand that their critical suppliers have business continuity plans in place - even if your own business has a robust plan in place, if your key suppliers don't then your business can be just as vulnerable.
Although many of the organisations questioned said they were concerned about the impact of losing access to their premises, only half said they were ready for remote working.
Managers identified technology failure as the issue most likely to impact future costs, followed by telecoms failure, and loss of access to work sites.
However technology is only one part of planning - the risks need to be assessed and processes documented, and while technology is an integral part in most plans there are other issues to think about too.
What would you do if you couldn't access your premises tomorrow? How would it affect your business?
The research, by the Chartered Management Institute, shows that even when firms have plans in place, organisations are failing to test that they actually work. Nothing like leaving it until you have an incident to find out your plan doesn't work!!
More than a third of organisations do nothing with their plans once developed, and 15% fail to act on any shortcomings they identify. “Events from the Carlisle floods to the London bombings and Buncefield explosion have clearly shown the vast range of impacts that emergencies can have. Yet despite these, there are still too many organisations with insufficient business continuity plans,” said Bruce Mann, director of civil contingencies at the cabinet office.
Although 61% of organisations outsource work to third parties, only 22% demand that their critical suppliers have business continuity plans in place - even if your own business has a robust plan in place, if your key suppliers don't then your business can be just as vulnerable.
Although many of the organisations questioned said they were concerned about the impact of losing access to their premises, only half said they were ready for remote working.
Managers identified technology failure as the issue most likely to impact future costs, followed by telecoms failure, and loss of access to work sites.
However technology is only one part of planning - the risks need to be assessed and processes documented, and while technology is an integral part in most plans there are other issues to think about too.
What would you do if you couldn't access your premises tomorrow? How would it affect your business?
Tuesday, 20 March 2007
What on earth is a "bot-net?" And should you be interested?
The answer to the second question is "yes", but what exactly is a bot-net? It is a large number of hijacked computers under the remote control of a single person via an internet-based command and control system ie a robot-network. Basically the hijacker gains control of a PC and uses the network for his own purposes, usually something illegal or immoral - typically spam or viruses.
The number of computers hijacked by malicious hackers to send out spam and viruses has grown almost 30% in the last year, according to a survey. More than six million computers world wide are now part of a "bot network", according to Symantec. Computer users typically do not know that their PC has been hijacked.
More than a third of all computer attacks in the second half of 2006 originated from PCs in the United States, the threat report said. While the total number of bot-net PCs rose, the number of servers controlling them dropped by about 25% to 4,700, the twice-yearly report said.
Symantec's researchers said the decrease showed that bot network owners were consolidating to expand their networks, creating a more centralised structure for launching attacks - in other words leveraging a greater number of controlled PCs from a smaller number of servers.
Symantec claim this rise in the number of infected computers can probably be attributed to the rise in the online population of countries like China and Spain.
Make sure your network and PCs are secure and protected so you don't unwittingly become part of a bot-net!!
The number of computers hijacked by malicious hackers to send out spam and viruses has grown almost 30% in the last year, according to a survey. More than six million computers world wide are now part of a "bot network", according to Symantec. Computer users typically do not know that their PC has been hijacked.
More than a third of all computer attacks in the second half of 2006 originated from PCs in the United States, the threat report said. While the total number of bot-net PCs rose, the number of servers controlling them dropped by about 25% to 4,700, the twice-yearly report said.
Symantec's researchers said the decrease showed that bot network owners were consolidating to expand their networks, creating a more centralised structure for launching attacks - in other words leveraging a greater number of controlled PCs from a smaller number of servers.
Symantec claim this rise in the number of infected computers can probably be attributed to the rise in the online population of countries like China and Spain.
Make sure your network and PCs are secure and protected so you don't unwittingly become part of a bot-net!!
Hate to say "I told you so" but..........
......Microsoft has admitted that there is still work to be done on its Windows Live OneCare security software. Separate disclosures by a European product manager and a member of the Microsoft Security Research and Response team revealed that the company is not satisfied with the performance of the anti-malware application.
Read the report here
Read the report here
Monday, 19 March 2007
It's not just tree-hugging!
Not so long ago the environmentalist lobby was often regarded as cranky and somehow a bit oddball. However over the past decade the groundswell of opinion has moved much more towards considering the environment and providing a solid and safe environment – leading to the creation of the concept of “corporate social responsibility”
One of the problems in the past has been that being environmentally conscious has been considered the domain of the large multinationals, and it was only they who could make a difference. Nowadays that has been turned on its head and there is a much greater awareness that if we all do our bit individually, it makes a difference. Thus all businesses from the “one man band” upwards can contribute to providing a better and safer environment – and in numbers there is strength and power.
Locally there is the Better Together Dorset initiative (www.bettertogetherdorset.org.uk). This highlights the concept of social responsibility. Indeed research by the Institute of Business Ethics has proved that socially responsible businesses outperform their competitors. There is no great magic to this concept of corporate social responsibility – it is simple things that make a difference.
Basic housekeeping helps: switching off at night, using power saving settings on computers, reducing printing, and recycling paper, cardboard and printer cartridges. However in doing these things we should also encourage others to do the same – a prime example of that is putting a “think before you print” message in your email footer.
Using paper which has been printed on one side as notepads or re-using to print on the other side for internal or unimportant jobs is another simple way of saving paper. Also recycling paper and cardboard is really easy – either bins are provided at homes and offices or there are numerous drop-off points at supermarkets etc. As a technology business we have to dispose of packaging when installing new equipment and much of this can be recycled with a minimum of effort.
Being environmentally aware with technology actually begins you buy your equipment: a lot of the equipment we all use everyday contains chemicals which can be harmful to health, cause environmental damage, and be difficult to dispose of. The environmental group have rated various manufacturers to give a guide to which equipment is the most environmentally friendly – their website (www.greenpeace.org) has this up to date rating guide that can be used when selecting equipment to purchase.
When it comes to redundant equipment, taking it to the tip is just the worst thing you can do. There are new regulations now about the disposal of electrical equipment, but if it still works then there are charitable organisations which will be glad of it. One such is www.computersforcharity.org.uk which services redundant equipment and distributes it on to charities in the UK and Africa. Don’t forget that what is old and outdated technology to you could be state of the art advanced technology to a user in a developing economy.
If your equipment really has died, you can often recycle via your supplier: many, such as Dell, provide a return and recycle service, or you can let a specialist company such as Wastecare (www.wastecare.co.uk) and they can safely dispose of everything from printers to photographic chemicals.
Mobile technology and the widespread availability of videostreaming make it easier to avoid travelling: this might mean working from home and avoiding driving or it could avoid international travel, but in both cases costs and pollution can be reduced.
In conclusion then, there are many ways we can all contribute to a “better world” through showing more corporate social responsibility – and each business form the owner-manager upward, has its part to play. Together we can make a real difference.
One of the problems in the past has been that being environmentally conscious has been considered the domain of the large multinationals, and it was only they who could make a difference. Nowadays that has been turned on its head and there is a much greater awareness that if we all do our bit individually, it makes a difference. Thus all businesses from the “one man band” upwards can contribute to providing a better and safer environment – and in numbers there is strength and power.
Locally there is the Better Together Dorset initiative (www.bettertogetherdorset.org.uk). This highlights the concept of social responsibility. Indeed research by the Institute of Business Ethics has proved that socially responsible businesses outperform their competitors. There is no great magic to this concept of corporate social responsibility – it is simple things that make a difference.
Basic housekeeping helps: switching off at night, using power saving settings on computers, reducing printing, and recycling paper, cardboard and printer cartridges. However in doing these things we should also encourage others to do the same – a prime example of that is putting a “think before you print” message in your email footer.
Using paper which has been printed on one side as notepads or re-using to print on the other side for internal or unimportant jobs is another simple way of saving paper. Also recycling paper and cardboard is really easy – either bins are provided at homes and offices or there are numerous drop-off points at supermarkets etc. As a technology business we have to dispose of packaging when installing new equipment and much of this can be recycled with a minimum of effort.
Being environmentally aware with technology actually begins you buy your equipment: a lot of the equipment we all use everyday contains chemicals which can be harmful to health, cause environmental damage, and be difficult to dispose of. The environmental group have rated various manufacturers to give a guide to which equipment is the most environmentally friendly – their website (www.greenpeace.org) has this up to date rating guide that can be used when selecting equipment to purchase.
When it comes to redundant equipment, taking it to the tip is just the worst thing you can do. There are new regulations now about the disposal of electrical equipment, but if it still works then there are charitable organisations which will be glad of it. One such is www.computersforcharity.org.uk which services redundant equipment and distributes it on to charities in the UK and Africa. Don’t forget that what is old and outdated technology to you could be state of the art advanced technology to a user in a developing economy.
If your equipment really has died, you can often recycle via your supplier: many, such as Dell, provide a return and recycle service, or you can let a specialist company such as Wastecare (www.wastecare.co.uk) and they can safely dispose of everything from printers to photographic chemicals.
Mobile technology and the widespread availability of videostreaming make it easier to avoid travelling: this might mean working from home and avoiding driving or it could avoid international travel, but in both cases costs and pollution can be reduced.
In conclusion then, there are many ways we can all contribute to a “better world” through showing more corporate social responsibility – and each business form the owner-manager upward, has its part to play. Together we can make a real difference.
Tuesday, 6 March 2007
Microsoft's Live Onecare - failure?
Microsoft's Live OneCare security software has failed tests which check how well it spots and stops malicious programs designed to attack Windows.
See the full story here
See the full story here
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