New Technology Reviews!.: Enterprise

RIM pacifies customers with free premium apps

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<img alt="" class="size-full wp-image-92186 aligncenter" height="124" mce_src="http://img404.imageshack.us/img404/8434/bbrewards.jpg" src="http://img404.imageshack.us/img404/8434/bbrewards.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; clear: both; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 640px;" title="bb-rewards" width="140" />Remember the 3-day outage that BlackBerry users suffered just last week? Research In Motion (RIM) wants to kiss and make up by offering free premium apps to those who were affected by the services interruptions. The whole range of premium apps will be worth a total of over $100, and this olive branch is a sign of RIM’s appreciation for their customers’ patience.</div>
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These apps will make their way to affected customers in the coming weeks via BlackBerry App World, and will be there until the end of the year. RIM Co-CEO Mike Lazaridis had this to say, “Our global network supports the communications needs of more than 70 million customers. We truly appreciate and value our relationship with our customers. We’ve worked hard to earn their trust over the past 12 years, and we’re committed to providing the high standard of reliability they expect, today and in the future.”</div>
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The whole works of premium apps can be downloaded from October 19th onwards, where among them include Sims 3, Bejeweled, N.O.V.A., Texas Hold’em Poker 2, Bubble Bash 2, Photo Editor Ultimate, DriveSafe.ly Pro, iSpeech Translator Pro, Drive Safe.ly Enterprise, Nobex Radio Premium, Shazam Encore and Vlingo Plus amongst others. I would say the games would be the fastest moving out of the lot – what about you?</div>
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RIM pacifies customers with free premium apps

Remember the 3-day outage that BlackBerry users suffered just last week? Research In Motion (RIM) wants to kiss and make up by offering ...

Tech support for iPhone is cheaper than BlackBerry, Android

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Research into IT administration has already shown that Macs are cheaper to manage than PCs. According to analytics firm ClickFox, the same is true of the iPhone versus its competitors. InfoWorld reports that ClickFox found the iPhone requires far less tech support from the carriers than phones based on the BlackBerry or Android platforms.</div>
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ClickFox performed an analysis of support calls placed to call centers dedicated to the three platforms and discovered that multiple agents, multiple transfers, and often multiple sessions are required in order to solve BlackBerry or Android issues. By contrast, iPhone problems usually resolved in only a single call. Using the iPhone as a baseline, ClickFox found BlackBerry users required additional support (e.g., call transfers, followups) 37 percent of the time. Android users required more help a staggering 77 percent of the time.</div>
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All that additional time on the phone with tech support adds up. With 11.5 million BlackBerry incidents and 24 million Android incidents requiring extra support, those costs spiral upward pretty quickly. Compared to support costs for the iPhone, ClickFox estimates the total cost of additional tech support is US$46 million higher for BlackBerry users and $97 million higher for Android users -- per year.</div>
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Apple's focus on user experience is key to the iPhone's success, and if ClickFox's survey data is accurate, it looks like that's trickled down to lower support costs as well. That might be a contributing factor in the high iPhone adoption rates that firms like Good Technology keep seeing in the enterprise sector.</div>
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Tech support for iPhone is cheaper than BlackBerry, Android

Research into IT administration has already shown that Macs are cheaper to manage than PCs. According to analytics firm ClickFox, the ...

MacTech Conference 2011 lists speakers

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<img alt="mactech" class="aligncenter" height="43" mce_src="http://img64.imageshack.us/img64/8083/mtlogo209x043.gif" src="http://img64.imageshack.us/img64/8083/mtlogo209x043.gif" style="border-style: solid; border-width: 0px; clear: both; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; height: 43px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 8px auto; max-width: 640px; width: 209px;" width="209" />MacTech Conference 2011 has announced its list of speakers, and it's a great list. We already knew Guy Kawasaki would be giving the keynote, but add to that more focused talks by Daniel Jalkut, Aaron Hillegass, Andy Ihnatko, Justin McWilliams, TUAW alum Justin Esgar. Many more will be there imparting their wisdom in an extensive lineup of sessions.</div>
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This year's MacTech Conference begins November 2 in Los Angeles, and we'll be there on the ground to give you daily coverage, plus interviews and app demos after the event. MacTech Conference last year was quite impressive, and each year there are two tracks: one for IT and one for developers. The list for this year looks great for both tracks. Check out the full press release below.</div>
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Oh, and early bird pricing ends August 8, so if you're thinking about attending you may want to register soon.</div>
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Show full PR text</div>
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MacTech Conference 2011: Sessions, Speakers and Details<br style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; line-height: 1.5;" />- Early bird registration ends August 8th, 2011<div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;">
July 29, 2011 -- Westlake Village, CA -- MacTech Conference for Apple Developers and IT Pros, November 2-4, 2011 in Los Angeles, has released its speaker and session list, as well as many details of the conference. Keynote speaker Guy Kawasaki will open MacTech Conference 2011: a three-day, information-packed event that will have sessions and activities throughout the day and evening. This immersion conference is hotel-based, giving attendees the opportunity to not only learn from the best, but get to meet new people and spend time with their peers. Information about the conference is at http://www.mactech.com/conference</div>
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"Our speaker page contains a list of some of the amazing people that will present and be in attendance at MacTech Conference 2011 (but expect a surprise guest or two). Some of the incredible topics that will be covered are now listed at http://www.mactech.com/conference/sessions ," said Ed Marczak, Sessions Chair and Executive Editor, MacTech Magazine.</div>
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MacTech Conference has two separate tracks: one focused on programming/development, and one focused on IT/Enterprise. Sessions will focus on both desktop and mobile with appropriate levels of attention paid to the Mac, iPhone, iPad and iPod. Check out the speaker and topic list (http://www.mactech.com/conference/sessions) for specific sessions and speaker list.</div>
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The conference will kick off with a keynote by Guy Kawasaki at 10am on Wednesday, Nov. 2. "We're thrilled to have Guy as our keynote speaker. Time and again, his books are not only insightful, but his exploration of concepts makes it easy for anyone to apply them to what they do. Guy's latest book, Enchantment, not only meets but exceeds that level," said Neil Ticktin, Editor-in-Chief/Publisher, MacTech Magazine.</div>
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Wednesday through Friday, November 2-4, are packed with sessions using MacTech's well established running order format. The evenings are filled with special activities and events designed specifically to give attendees an opportunity to form bonds with their peers and meet new people.</div>
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"At the last MacTech Conference, 100% of attendees said that they would recommend the conference. We've been working hard to live up to the expectations for 2011: from our acquisition of NSConference US to awesome content and great activities. Edward R. Marczak (Conference Sessions Chair and IT Track Sessions Chair), and Steve 'Scotty' Scott (Developer Track Sessions Chair) have created a world-class line up of world-class talent," Ticktin continued.</div>
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MacTech Conference is priced economically at $999 including all meals, a MacTech Magazine subscription, a schedule packed full of sessions, exclusive entertainment, and more. Registration is far ahead of last year. Early bird registration ends on August 8th, and attendees can save $200 off the pre-registration price and $500 off the on-site registration price. Register at http://www.mactech.com/conference/registration</div>
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A limited number of partial and full student scholarships are available. See http://www.mactech.com/conference/student for more information.</div>
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The Sheraton is a quality venue with rooms that typically run $229.00 or more per night, plus tax, and with Internet access available for an additional fee. Available on a first-come, first-served basis, MacTech Conference attendees get a special rate. Available on a first-come, first-served basis, MacTech Conference attendees get a special rate of just $179 per night, which includes Internet access.</div>
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Those interested in one of the many sponsorship offerings, see the details at http://www.mactech.com/conference/sponsorship</div>
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About MacTech Magazine</div>
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Established in 1984, MacTech Magazine is the only monthly magazine focused on Apple at the technical level. Each month, MacTech and MacTech.com is read by 150,000 technical Macintosh users in over 175 countries ... from network administrators to programmers, from solution providers to Enterprise, and in general anyone that's interested in the Macintosh beyond the user level.</div>
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If you're interested in getting under the hood of your Mac, if you want to know how to make things happen inside the box, you should be reading MacTech Magazine. Contact the magazine. Toll free: 877-MACTECH, International: 805-494-9797, custservice@mactech.com, http://www.mactech.com</div>
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MacTech Conference 2011 lists speakers

MacTech Conference 2011 has announced its list of speakers, and it's a great list. We already knew Guy Kawasaki would be giving the k...

Android less secure than iOS, says Symantec

<p style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter" height="90" src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com//classifications/Mobile%20Phones/iPhone/iphonesecurity-200-200.jpg" width="120" /></p><br/>The Android operating system is less secure than Apple's iOS, according to a new in-depth evaluation conducted by security firm Symantec.<br/><br/>The good news is that both smartphone tribes are more secure than traditional PCs.<br/><br/>The bad news is that neither of is really that secure anyway, with Symantec seeming to conclude that businesses would be wise to keep their data off smartphones altogether.<br/><br/><strong>Data rater</strong><br/><br/>iOS is more robust because Apple's app vetting system is more rigorous, the company found – this means less malware can sneak into your iPhone or iPad via rogue app.<br/><br/>Android, however, is more open and this means more open to attack, including network attacks, nasty malware and misplacing data if the handset is lost or stolen.<br/><br/>Both are also vulnerable when syncing with cloud-based services, which leaves data stored on devices in danger of being compromised.<br/><br/><strong>Mixed bag</strong><br/><br/>Symantec Fellow and chief architect Carey Nachenberg said, "Today's mobile devices are a mixed bag when it comes to security.<br/><br/>"While more secure than traditional PCs, these platforms are still vulnerable to many traditional attacks.<br/><br/>"Moreover, enterprise employees are increasingly using unmanaged, personal devices to access sensitive enterprise resources, and then connecting these devices to 3rd-party services outside of the governance of the enterprise, potentially exposing key assets to attackers."<br/><br/>Obviously this research is talking mainly to the super-paranoid, businesses and super-paranoid businesses – day to day users are probably going to be safe enough, as long as you don't download any dodgy-looking apps.<br/><br/>But with the rise of the mobile wallet and more financial details being stored on our smartphones, handset security is going to become more and more important.

Android less secure than iOS, says Symantec

The Android operating system is less secure than Apple's iOS, according to a new in-depth evaluation conducted by security firm Symantec...

Top 10 Information Systems Security Controls in the Enterprise

<br />		<p>The modern Enterprise IT Infrastructure as we know it today has evolved over the years, from the huge computers in the mid 1940s, which could not even do what our small calculators can do today, to the years of mainframes. We now have high processor computers with lots of storage space and high speeds that are easily affordable. We have seen a shift of focus from centralized to decentralized, distributed, network computing within enterprises. All these developments have been great, as they have eased the way we do business, but also brought myriad of enterprise security issues.</p><p>In this article we look at the top 10 enterprise security controls that we could deploy to reduce on the effect of known enterprise infrastructure security issues.</p><p><strong>1. Take a holistic approach to security</strong></p><p>Successful enterprise security requires good planning and a holistic security strategy that considers everything in the organizations, from business processes to the people, on an ongoing basis. Many at times enterprises consider costly technical solutions, as a reaction to security breaches.</p><p><strong>2. Develop an Enterprise security program / policy</strong></p><p>Organizations need to develop security programs that outline the Roles, policy, procedures, standards and guidelines for the Enterprise security.</p><p>Roles: Outline who is responsible for what e.g. Chief Information security officer (ISO) could be s responsible for ensuring a good security posture for the organization.</p><p>Policies: These are general organization wide statements that set out the mandatory requirements to ensure a minimum security level. Examples include: Acceptable E-mail Use Policy, Internet use policy, Mobile devices use policy etc...</p><p>Standards: these are derived from policies, laying out specific steps or processes required to meet a certain requirement. For example a requirement that all email communication be encrypted.</p><p><strong>3. Manage Risk - On a continuous basis</strong></p><p>Risk management is the process of identifying risk, assessing risk, and taking steps to reduce risk to an acceptable level. This involves identifying the assets in the organization that you need to secure; these could include human resources, technology, trade secrets, patents, copyrights etc... Then identify all possible risks that could affect the availability, confidentiality and integrity of these assets. Management can then decide what to do with the identified risks; risks can either be mitigated or transferred to a third party like an insurance company.</p><p><strong>4. Refine Business Processes: Adopt Industry best Practices</strong></p><p>Beyond the need to manage Enterprise IT technology, is the need to establish and employ best practices and processes to optimize IT services. A number of internationally recognized frameworks have been developed already to describe effective ICT infrastructure management processes. Hence there is no need to re-invent the wheel.</p><p>Examples include: <br><b>COBIT</b> - Control Objectives for Information and related Technology {1}, <br><b>ITIL </b>- The Information Technology Infrastructure Library {2} <br>and <b> ISO 27001 </b>{3}</p><p><strong>5. Streamline physical / environmental security</strong></p><p>Physical and environmental security is vital in protection of information assets and ICT Infrastructure in the Enterprise. Physical security should look at issue like, monitoring and detection e.g. security guards, alarms, CCTV. Access control and deterrent solutions e.g locks, fencing, lighting, mantraps, Biometrics etc. Environmental control and design, server room temperature, humidity, air conditioning, static electricity, fire suppression and detection, Power generation and backup, all these should be well streamlined.</p><p><strong>6. Deploy content filtering / inspection solutions.</strong></p><p>As content, (email, internet traffic etc...) moves in and out of the enterprise, there is need for it to be managed well to avoid any security breaches and attacks. Controls could include:</p><p>-	Web filters to enforce organizational Internet usage policies through content filtering, application blocking, and best-of-breed spyware protection.</p><p>-	Spam filters / Firewalls to protect your email server from spam, virus, spoofing, phishing and spyware attacks.</p><p>-	Unified Threat management solutions(UTM): Several organization choose to deploy UTM solutions that offer industry leading functionalities within one package including Intrusion Prevention System; Antivirus with Antispam; Web Filtering; Antispam; Firewall; SSL - VPN; Traffic Shaping and many more.</p><p><strong>7. Manage the inside of the Corporate Network</strong></p><p>We have already seen that there are increased security breaches that come from within the enterprise; therefore it's vital to manage the inside of the enterprise network very well. Some of the steps we could take include the following:</p><p>-	Taking an inventory of all authorized and unauthorized software and devices on the network.<br>-	Maintenance, Monitoring, and Analysis of Audit Logs<br>-	Continuous Vulnerability Assessment, patch management and Remediation<br>-	Limitation and Control of Network Ports, Protocols, and Services</p><p><strong>8. Have an Identity and Rights Management System</strong></p><p>Identity management is very vital and important to avoid user rights violation and excessive rights issue. Put in place procedures, guideline and a system for Identity management, which involves creation of users, change of user rights, removal of rights, resetting lost user password. This also calls for Controlled Use of Administrative Privileges. Is access in the Enterprise based on a need to know basis? For example should everyone in the organization have access to the payroll database?!</p><p><strong>9. Put emphasis on Data Loss Prevention (DLP).</strong></p><p>Data loss prevention puts into consideration the security of data, both in motion and static. With the advent of portable devices and memory sticks that have lots of storage space, it very easy for someone to copy lots of corporate data on a removable media in just a matter of seconds. I have heard of stories of disgruntled employees selling clients databases to the competition. Data loss prevention (DLP) encompasses the tools that prevent accidental data leakage, including device and port control, encryption (both hard-drive and removable media encryption).</p><p>Also how does your organization handle hard disks that have sensitive information and need disposing off? How about paper documents? I bet one could get lots of information by just dumpster diving into corporate trash bins (am told some investigative journalists use this method to "snoop"). There is no excuse for organization not to shred sensitive paper documents, given all the shredders available on the market; some can even shred plastic and CD media.</p><p><strong>10. Don't go it alone</strong></p><p>Securing information assets is becoming more vital every day; unfortunately many organizations do not consider it important until a breach has actually happened.</p><p>You can imagine the direct cost of not being proactive as far as information security is concerned, which could include, the cost to recover data lost or altered during an incident, cost to notify customers of breaches, fines for non-compliance and indirect costs e.g., lost customers, lost productivity, time spent investigating/resolving breaches and hoaxes, and so many. Therefore it's crucial to seek for external assistance from an external firm or consultant if need be, to assist in areas like:</p><p>-	Carrying out an IT audit and Penetration Tests a.k.a "Ethical hacking" on your own infrastructure.<br>-	Assisting with Information security awareness training for your staff etc...</p><p>It's important to note that securing information assets in an enterprise is not just an event, but is a continued process that requires an ongoing effort and support of the top management, this is because the threats to information systems continues to evolve and change daily.</p><p>References:</p><p>1 itgovernance<br>2 itlibrary.org <br>3 <a href="http://www.27000.org" rel="nofollow" target="_new">http://www.27000.org</a></p>	<br />	<br />		<br />			<br />				<br />					<br /><br />						<p>About the Author</p><p>Mr. Thomas Bbosa - CISSP, is an Information Systems security Consultant and Managing Partner with BitWork Technologies Ltd - <a href="http://www.bitworktech.com" target="_new">http://www.bitworktech.com</a>, an IT firm based in Kampala, Uganda. He is a certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), with over 10 years Experience in the IT industry. He has been involved in various roles of IT infrastructure management and support, Information systems Security management & solutions deployment.</p>					<br />

Top 10 Information Systems Security Controls in the Enterprise

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How to Configure an Outgoing Mail SMTP Server Within Enterprise Manager

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Controlling Enterprise Mobility in the Cloud

<br />		<p>According to a recent Gartner survey, as reported by InfoWorld, Cloud Computing was mentioned as one of the top two technology priorities for CIOs in 2010. What's also interesting is that on the Top 10 list is also security technologies.</p><p>The concept of cloud computing is not new. The economic viability of this model is quite compelling for many enterprises, with the Gartner survey also mentioning cost reduction and improved workforce effectiveness as two of the top 10 CIO business priorities. However, concerns around security and relinquishing control over sensitive corporate data have been stalling the widespread adoption of cloud computing in the last couple of years. But, becoming clear is that the cloud computing era is approaching fast. And here's why.</p><p>Past experience has taught us that economic viability is a strong driver for innovation, and that drive will prevail over technical challenges. One example is the shift from mainframe computing paradigm, which dominated the marketplace in the 80s, to the client-server paradigm, which prevailed in the 90s. The mainframe generation was characterized by silos of data and voice communications. In this generation, dumb terminals used to connect to proprietary mainframes for specific yet limited computing applications, with voice, video and data running on completely segregated networks. The mainframe paradigm was simple and secure, with enterprises being fully in control of access privileges to data and applications.</p><p>However, the economic benefits of unifying voice, video, and data applications on a single converged network became a stronger, more prevailing force. Continuing this example, the client-server paradigm galvanized the adoption of TCP/IP worldwide, which in turn spurred the development of the internet and unified communications.</p><p>These same concepts are applicable to the cloud computing industry. The economic viability of pay-as-you-go for virtually unlimited elastic computing resources, required for fast and efficient implementation of IT projects, will overcome the security concerns. The fact that existing cloud computing vendors are prospering and that major new players are entering the cloud computing market, is yet another indication that this industry is beginning to emerge successfully across the chasm.</p><p>This market growth is an indication that the adoption of the technology is shifting from the early adaptors, who are visionary in nature, to the pragmatic early majority. There is ample evidence that cloud computing is gaining momentum. Amazon is substantially growing their Elastic Compute Cloud and S3 services and a stock price appreciating over 175% from January 2009; Google Apps Engine is challenging the Microsoft domination of the office applications, and Salesforce-dot-com's stock price is appreciating over 180% in the last year, There are also new major players who are entering this market, including IBM with Blue Cloud and AT&T with Synaptic Hosting, and the expectation is that other major Service Providers will be adding cloud services to their portfolio in 2010.</p><p>Independent of whether your corporation is an early adaptor or an early majority company, if you will be adopting cloud computing technologies in the foreseeable future, then an interesting question to ponder would be: "How would the adoption of cloud computing and SaaS applications impact the enforcement of corporate security policies for mobile users?"</p><p>The traditional approach to enforcing corporate access security is to require mobile users accessing the corporate LAN to launch either SSL VPN or IPSec VPN clients. With these technologies, tunnels are established at the application or network layer respectively to ensure confidentiality of data traversing these VPNs. The challenge of this approach is that mobile workers who use their corporate remote access devices to access the internet either don't launch their VPN clients, or their sessions are routed directly to internet through a split tunnel connection provisioned on access routers.</p><p>When remote users are accessing the corporate LAN through VPN, they are protected by firewalls with UTM (Unified Threat Management) functionality. This is not the case, however, when the users connect directly to the Internet. In this case, they are exposed to a multitude of risks, including viruses, phishing, and spyware.</p><p>A practical example of this risk would be the following scenario. Consider that you are using your corporate laptop to log from your home into the Dolphin Stadium and the Miami Dolphins team website to purchase tickets for the 2010 Super Bowl football game. What you don't know is that this web site has been hacked into (based on a real scenario*), and it downloads and installs a malicious code on your laptop. This code acts as Trojan and can install a keylogger code and disable the anti-virus application on your laptop. After purchasing your tickets to the Super Bowl, you decide it's time to get some work done and log into your Google Apps. Unfortunately, your password to Google Apps is captured by the keylogger and compromised at that time. This scenario could have been avoided with a mobile connection manager blocking the remote access to Google Apps after detecting that the Antivirus application is disabled.</p><p>As the control point in the cloud computing era is shifting from VPN to internet connection, the connection manager will be required to enforce corporate policies for endpoint security. The recently announced iPass Open Mobile Platform has been designed with this paradigm shift in mind. The Open Mobile Client is always running on the mobile device, which enables it to become the ultimate control point for all mobility purposes, regardless of whether the accessed applications reside in the cloud or on the corporate LAN.</p><p>The client in most cases is transparent to the end users, enforcing policies in the background. Policies may include optimal network selection, launching and passing on user credentials to VPN clients, and performing end-point integrity checks and remediation. The ECA (Event Condition Action) functionality on the Open Mobile Client empowers IT administrators to enforce corporate endpoint security policies. ECA is used to enforce both pre- and post-connect policies and spans across all integrated technologies (e.g. VPNs) and application (e.g. UTM apps running on the mobile device).</p><p>*Based on a real hacking scenario, please refer to the PC World website for the article "Super Bowl Related Websites Hacked." or <a href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/128750/super_bowlrelated_web_sites_hacked.html" rel="nofollow" target="_new">http://www.pcworld.com/article/128750/super_bowlrelated_web_sites_hacked.html</a>.</p>	<br />	<br />		<br />			<br />				<br />					<br /><br />						<p>By Michael Segal, iPass.<br> iPass Inc. helps enterprises and individuals unify the management of remote and mobile connectivity. With iPass software and services, enterprise customers can create easy-to-use wireless and broadband solutions for their mobile workers, home offices, and branch and retail locations, complete with web-based management, security validation, and unified billing. Visit us at <a href="http://www.ipass.com" target="_new">http://www.ipass.com</a>, or blog at: <a href="http://www3.ipass.com/blog" target="_new">http://www3.ipass.com/blog</a> or find a hotspot at: ipass.jiwire.com</p>					<br />

Controlling Enterprise Mobility in the Cloud

According to a recent Gartner survey, as reported by InfoWorld, Cloud Computing was mentioned as one of the top two technology priorities...