Group 4 Networks

2011-04-26T18:19:00.001-07:00

We have Moved....

http://blog.g4ns.com

Get Social Networking Right

2010-08-23T12:16:00.000-07:00

FUD rules the business world. Half-baked initiatives get approved by executives who are desperate not to be left behind -- even when they don't know where they're going.

Nowhere is this thinking more apparent than in the social networking universe. On Facebook, for example, just about every company now rolls out a Fan page, simply because everyone else is doing it. But I'm not sure that most of these companies have any clear idea what the heck they're doing.

If I sign up to be a "Fan," I earn the privilege of viewing a regular stream of advertising, marketing tidbits and micro press releases?

I'm sorry, Ms. Marketing Director, I'm trying to trim clutter and noise from my life. Everyone else I know thinks pretty much the same way.

Yes, of course there are people who will sign up as a Facebook Fan or a Twitter Follower just because you're there. But that's no indication of success. Somebody is going to sign up for anything. Most of us with busy lives want targeted messages and information that's relevant.

According to a 2009 survey commissioned by Cisco Systems and conducted by four leading business schools, only one in seven firms have formal policies for adopting consumer-based social networking tools for the enterprise, and a mere one in five have any policy in place for overseeing the use of social networking tools. In fact, only one in ten have direct IT involvement in externally facing IT initiatives. [More on this topic here.]

The solution? Stop groping around for answers until you hit on something that works. Or sort of makes sense. Or kinda should work...maybe.

Instead of making it look like you're just doing something, anything, develop a cohesive strategy and mission, forge strong links between IT and business units, and use metrics and measures to understand what's really taking place. Build a governance model.

Buy social networking tools designed for business and solicit outside expertise. That's what Del Monte did when it framed a best practice social networking strategy.

Oh, and while you're at it, please create a compelling reason for Fans or Followers--as well as business partners--to connect with you. Don't think sales or cost cutting, think connection points. Find a way to create a unique bond and ratchet up value--for your audience, customers and others you interact with.

If you build it (right) the revenues will come.

Computing in the clouds !

2010-05-05T06:20:00.001-07:00

You are a savvy computer user. You do your backups regularly. You upgrade your applications and updates on time. And then a natural disaster hits, your office is flooded and you lose everything anyway.

There is option…..

You can switch to cloud computing, a system whereby you no longer keep data and applications in your place of business. Instead, they are stored at remote computers aka. Servers and run by us.

Is Security in the cloud big concern for you to make switch? And if YES what we can do to improve.

What's new in Office 2010?

2010-05-03T08:21:00.000-07:00

Use Microsoft Office 2010 anywhere to manage your business from a PC, phone, or browser. Stay connected to your projects, even when you're away from your computer and work efficiently with others by sharing, editing, and reviewing files at the same time-even across geographies & time zones.

Broadcast Microsoft PowerPoint 2010 presentations to anyone anywhere with a web browser* and keep your email organized with Microsoft Outlook 2010 so you can work better together and stay connected to customers.

Bring ideas to life by using improved data visualization tools like Sparklines, and create professional materials without the expense of professional fees.

and more..

Managed Virtual Desktop

2010-01-04T10:27:00.000-08:00

As workplaces become increasingly mobile it's essential to access documents when and where you need them. It's possible with Hosted Managed Desktop, which allows remote access to software applications and your data. You can synchronize Outlook, streamline processes, communicate with co-workers and have the information you need to help make timely informed business decisions. In addition, password protected sharing controls who can view and edit your documents.

With Hosted Managed Desktop you'll have access to the most up-to-date and easy-to-use Office tools and features that ensure you create professional-looking documents and presentations.

When you choose Hosted Managed Desktop, you can relax knowing you've got the best software applications and support team backing you up. Hosting experts work closely with you to ensure you have what you need to help realize your business goals.

Ask yourself these questions:

Do you want to access the applications you know and use anytime any where?
Are you looking for an easier and more efficient way to help manage time or tasks?
Do you want to manage customer and prospect information in one accessible place?
Do you want to create professional-looking documents and presentations in less time?
Do you need access to calendars, tasks, contacts and files on the go?
Do you waste valuable time synchronizing your communications tools?
Are you looking for an easier way to track business information and reports?

•Less than half of all midsize businesses and only 25% of small businesses have disaster recovery plans in place, according to Gartner Research.
•One of the top five IT priorities for SMB businesses is investing in storage, according to a recent report.

Organizations that Would Consider a Hosted Virtual Desktop Solution, by Industry

2010-01-04T10:13:00.001-08:00

Gartner says Worldwide Hosted Virtual Desktop Market to Surpass $65 Billion in 2013

2010-01-04T10:05:00.000-08:00

Gartner says Worldwide Hosted Virtual Desktop Market to Surpass $65 Billion in 2013

The worldwide hosted virtual desktop (HVD) market will accelerate through 2013 to reach 49 million units, up from more than 500,000 units in 2009, according to Gartner Inc. Worldwide HVD revenue will grow from about $1.3 billion to $1.5 billion in 2009, which is less than 1 percent of the worldwide professional PC market, to $65.7 billion in 2013, which will be equal to more than 40 percent of the worldwide professional PC market.

“PC vendors must prepare for the growth in demand for this client computing architecture by adjusting sales strategies and compensation models or they risk losing expenditure share with enterprise customers," said Annette Jump, research director at Gartner. “Distributed computing has been the dominant client computing architecture for the past 15 to 20 years, but a number of changes in the way users can access applications and client computing capabilities are bringing a number of alternative architectures to the fore.

“Hosted virtual desktops are currently the most visible of these alternative architectures and HVD adoption is likely to be rapid during the next three to five years, particularly in mature markets where existing data center and network infrastructures will be used to offset the cost of entry,” said Brian Gammage, vice president and Gartner fellow.

This trend will have a major impact on the PC industry where enterprises that previously purchased high volumes of desktop PCs on a regular basis will now look to replace some desktop PCs with less-expensive devices and replace them less frequently. However, while PC hardware expenditure will fall in this scenario, these enterprises will require more servers, network bandwidth and software to support the new architectures.

Gartner estimates that approximately 15 percent of current worldwide traditional professional desktop PCs will migrate to HVDs by 2014, equal to about 66 million connected devices. The U.S. will reach double that of the worldwide average with over 18 million connected devices. After an initial slow start, the HVD market will rally in 2010 and 2011.

“Despite the further improvements in performance and manageability that are expected of HVDs in 2009, the current economic downturn is expected to inhibit the adoption of HVDs in the short term because HVD deployments require large upfront investments in server and network infrastructure,” Ms. Jump said. “Because of IT budget cuts, we expect many planned HVD implementations to be delayed from 2009 into 2010 and 2011.”

The current players in the HVD market come mainly from thin-client and virtualization IT areas. The largest PC vendors currently do not offer HVDs; however, some of them, such as HP and Dell, are looking to expand their presence in the segment beyond acting as hardware OEMs. Gartner expects that the HVD market will be heavily influenced by market leader VMware through 2012 and also predicts that Microsoft will become a HVD supplier in the next 18 to 24 months through its partnership with Citrix, which has the ability to offer a growing number of HVD components.

Ms Jump advised PC vendors looking to maintain their share in the professional desktop market to become solution providers and understand that the HVD solution goes beyond hardware sales. She said that to become a HVD supplier, PC vendors need to offer multiple components such as server virtualization software to host desktop software, session management software to connect users with their desktop environment and tools for managing the provision of virtual desktops.

“HVDs are part of a bigger shift in client computing from traditional thick-client distributed PCs toward more manageable, secure and centralized client computing environments among many large and midsize companies,” Mr. Gammage said. “To benefit from this shift, PC vendors don’t need to create or even own all the components themselves, but they do need to be able to sell solutions and not just a ‘bag of bits’.”

Gartner analysts said once PC vendors have the HVD solutions in place, they need to ensure that their direct sales force is fully briefed about HVD technology and the difference in value propositions versus traditional desktop PC sales as HVDs may not ultimately be appropriate for all business applications and/or users. At the same time, the channel will also need re-educating about components of HVD and selling HVD solutions. Alliances to promote and provide proper education about HVD solutions will help drive demand and growth for those solutions among business organizations.

Additional information is available in the Gartner report “Emerging Technology Analysis: Hosted Virtual Desktops.” The report is available on Gartner’s Web site at http://www.gartner.com/DisplayDocument?ref=g_search&id=887912&subref=simplesearch.

Upgrade to Windows 7!

2009-11-25T19:34:00.000-08:00

Upgrade to Windows 7! You'll be glad you didIs there a single stellar Windows 7 'feature?' No, there isn't one -- but Windows 7 simply does everything Vista does, except better. So should you upgrade to Windows 7? The answer is: Probably.

Is Your PC Bot-Infested? Here's How to Tell

2009-11-25T19:31:00.000-08:00

Botnets are big, bad, and widespread -- but if your system is infected, you can take several simple steps to clean it and stay safe.

As fireworks boomed on the Fourth of July, thousands of compromised computers attacked U.S. government Web sites. A botnet of more than 200,000 computers, infected with a strain of 2004's MyDoom virus, attempted to deny legitimate access to sites such as those of the Federal Trade Commission and the White House. The assault was a bold reminder that botnets continue to be a massive problem.

Botnets are rogue networks of compromised "zombie" PCs. Your machine can become infected if you visit a site and download tainted code disguised as a video, if you visit a site that itself has been compromised, or if a traditional virus or other piece of malware enters your system. Once a bot infects your PC, it calls out to its command-and-control (CnC) server for instructions. A bot is similar to a traditional Trojan horse; but rather than merely installing a keylogger or a password stealer (which it might still do anyway), a bot works with other infected PCs, compelling them all to act together, in some ways like a very large computer.

Spammers pay big money to have a bot blast their message to thousands of machines; in particular, Canadian pharmaceutical spam is big right now. Other uses for bots include attacks that shut down commercial Web sites, often paired with a ransom demand. Brisk business also exists in what's called fast flux: To keep phishing Web sites active, operators change domains frequently. Botnets provide a quick and easy means to do so, and, according to security firm Kaspersky, botnet owners charge big money for that service.

In July, the ShadowServer Foundation, a group specializing in sharing information about botnets, reported that the number of identified botnets grew from 1500 to 3500 in the last two years. Each of those 3500 networks could contain several thousands of compromised PCs--and any given PC could be infected by multiple bots.

In raw numbers, the United States and China are the homes of most of the bot-infected machines, says Jose Nazario, manager of security research at Arbor Networks. "I think it's very safe for most PC users to assume they are part of a botnet," he says. "It's a very dangerous Internet for most folks."

Detecting Infections

Botnets live or die depending on communications with their CnC servers. Those communications can tell researchers how large a botnet is. Similarly, the flood of communications in and out of your PC helps antimalware apps detect a known bot. "Sadly, the lack of antivirus alerts isn't an indicator of a clean PC," says Nazario. "Antivirus software simply can't keep up with the number of threats. It's frustrating [that] we don't have significantly better solutions for the average home user, more widely deployed."

Even if your PC antivirus check comes out clean, be vigilant. Microsoft provides a free Malicious Software Removal Tool. One version of the tool, available from both Microsoft Update and Windows Update, is updated monthly; it runs in the background on the second Tuesday of each month and reports to Microsoft whenever it finds and removes an infection. You can use another version of the Malicious Software Removal Tool, downloadable at Microsoft's site, at any time, and you should run the utility if you notice a sudden change in your PC's behavior.

The Malicious Software Removal Tool garners results. In September 2007, Microsoft added to the utility the ability to recognize the Storm bot. Overnight the size of the Storm botnet was reduced by as much as 20 percent. Microsoft has since added other prevalent botnets to the tool's list, such as Conficker and Szribi.

Proactive options are also available. BotHunter, a free program from SRI International, works with Unix, Linux, Mac OS, Windows XP, and Vista. Though designed for networks, it can also run on stand-alone desktops and laptops.

BotHunter listens passively to Internet traffic through your machine and keeps a log of data exchanges that typically occur when a PC is infected with malware. Occasionally, to improve its definitions, BotHunter sends outbound messages to an SRI International database of adware, spyware, viruses, and worms. BotHunter first recognized Conficker data-exchange patterns back in November 2008, well before other security vendors picked up on the threat.

Future Botnets

If only to demonstrate their resiliency, bots have recently invaded cell phones, too. Trend Micro reported that the Sexy View SMS malware on the Symbian mobile OS can contact a CnC server to retrieve new SMS spam templates.

While a botnet on a mobile phone may look different from one on a PC, the idea of renting out a network of "owned" phones may be viable in the near future. Regardless of the form bots might take, we probably won't be able to eradicate the threat; we can only learn to better manage bot infestations. But in the meantime, let's clean up as many PCs as we can.

Symantec Uncovers Trojan Scheme Using Facebook

2009-11-05T06:50:00.000-08:00

Researchers at Symantec find a Trojan that uses Facebook to communicate with a command and control server.

Researchers at Symantec have uncovered a Trojan using Facebook as a coordinator for its command and control server.

The Trojan malware, known to Symantec as Whitewell, is being spread via e-mail through "documents (PDF, or MS Office formats) containing exploits for known vulnerabilities," Andrea Lelli, a security analyst with Symantec Security Response, wrote on a Symantec blog Oct. 31. The malware works by contacting the mobile version of Facebook and using its Notes section. By analyzing the Trojan's code, Lelli found that the Trojan will perform four different actions, depending on the notes' titles that are found.

If the title is Wells, the note will contain the timedate stamp for when a machine was infected. If it is WebServer, however, the note will contain a URL to be contacted from which the Trojan will receive commands, Lelli wrote.

Small botnets are causing big security problems for enterprises. Click here to read more.

"The real command and data processing is done through the remote URL that was received from the notes, and this URL may point anywhere," Lelli blogged. "However ... one could use a Facebook account as a C&C [command and control] server and this Trojan is able to successfully parse the Facebook html data, retrieve the wanted data from it, and also post new data to it (it may for example send stolen data to it in the form of a note in the same [way] as it sends a timedate stamp)."

To read about how Facebook password spam concealed a malware attack, click here.

If the note has the title 'White', it contains a URL that leads to an executable to be downloaded. If the title is anything else, the Trojan is programmed to wait, Lelli wrote.

This is not the first time social networks have been used to help control malware. In August, Arbor Networks researcher Jose Nazario uncovered a botnet using Twitter to communicate with its army of compromised machines.

According to Symantec, in this case, the documents containing the malware are made to look legitimate to conceal their intent, mimicking for example the names of well-known courier companies and utilizing popular headlines from the news media.

"Besides documents they can also spread the executables themselves, sending them with icons that resemble those that accompany legitimate documents, and with legit-looking file names such as 'Competitive assessment.pdf .exe,'" Lelli wrote.

"I want to stress the fact that the Trojan does not use exploits or flaws of any kind; it simply uses the standard Facebook functionalities, which in no way are malicious, dangerous or faulty," Lelli added. "This particular Trojan is quite limited and seems to be a targeted attack, but it can be considered a precursor of a botnet using a social network as a C&C server."

Gerry Egan, director of Symantec Security Response, said the company has not observed a significant number of infections and believes the Trojan to be part of a limited, targeted attack.

Best Free Anti-virus Applications

2009-07-02T10:55:00.000-07:00

Microsoft isn't the first vendor to offer free anti-virus software to consumers and small businesses. Several vendors have free, generally available versions of their malware protection suites. Their strategy: Get customers interested and open opportunity to partners. Here are few free AV packages worth considering.

- Panda Software www.pandasecurity.com Panda Active Scan 2.0 provides in-the-cloud scanning, detection and removal of malware, security status checking and vulnerability checks.

- ALWIL Software www.avast.com ALWIL’s Avast antivirus package includes a full array of features, including protection against rootkits and spyware, P2P inspections, real-time malware scanning and Web filtering.

- BitDefender www.bitdefender.com Designed for Windows home and professional versions, the free version of BitDefender Free Edition provides scanning and removal of most known viruses, scheduled system scanning, quarantining of suspect files and activity reporting.

- Avira www.avira.com Avira AntiVir free version provides rudimentary protection against viruses and worms and other Internet-born threats. However, the premium version offers more comprehensive security and features.

- Clamwin www.clamwin.com Clamwin is an open-source antivirus application developed and supported by a community of users and developers. The application is designed for all versions of Windows up to Vista.

- Microsoft www.microsoft.com Microsoft Security Essentials – still in beta and successor to Windows Defender – is getting good early reviews. The free client-based product provides basic antivirus and malware protection. The general release is expected this fall.

Free Network Assessment

2009-06-11T07:01:00.000-07:00

Schedule a free technology assessment with Group 4 Networks today, and be more productive tomorrow.

Free to you for a limited time

Let G4NS assess your information systems at no charge or obligation. You will receive a customized report detailing opportunities to reduce risk, lower costs, increase productivity and how to eliminate the headaches and hassles that sometimes come with technology. Bottom line, we want to help you save more money.

Your free technology assessment will cover the following mission-critical areas:

Productivity

Are your employees as comfortable and productive as they need to be with the business software they need most?
Do your employees know how to take their software programs to the next level of effectiveness?
How quickly do your new employees get up to speed on key software?
Do you take full advantage of best-of-breed software and hardware solutions to be more productive?
Do you execute information technology projects on time and on budget?
How well do your systems allow for real-time data sharing, communication, and collaboration

Thank you.

Invest in Virtual Desktop Now: Top Reasons Why You Shouldn't Wait Any Longer

2009-06-11T06:44:00.000-07:00

In the midst of an economic downturn, right now probably doesn’t seem like a good time to be investing in a full-fledge VD (Virtual Desktop) implementation. But, what many people don’t know is that VD can immediately save your company money and give you the competitive edge you’ve been looking for - without breaking the bank.

Check our web site to see full benefits of Virtual Desktop in action....

http://www.g4ns.com/virtualdesktop.html