February 5, 2012

Axis IP Cameras and Surveilance Systems

In 2004 Managed Solutions became a partner of Axis Communications to provide IP security camera solutions to our customers. As a security centric provider we realized the need to infuse the traditional physical security model with additional technological solutions. One of the best ways to add more physical security to a enterprise is through the use of security cameras. Security cameras allow you to record your facilities 24/7/365. The mere presence of security cameras is likely to have a dramatic affect on the security of your facility.

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In the unlikely and unfortunate event that something should happen in spite of the presence of the cameras if properly configured you will have hard evidence of the event to turn over to the authorities. Security cameras can also reduce the work load and increase the efficiency of your organization. By being able to monitor an infinite number of locations management can have a better feel for what is taking place in their facility, regardless of how large or small it might be. Remote sites can also be monitored and limit the need for a physical presence. All of this is made possible while utilizing pre-existing TCP/IP networks. This limits the need for new cabling infrastructure to be installed. Regardless of why you need surveilance, Axis Communications is the leader in the IP surveillance arena. They are an innovator in the field of IP Surveillance hardware and software and a valuable partner for any organization.

A typical Axis Camera Network utilizes your existing network infrastructure. By offering indoor and outdoor cameras that support Power Over Ethernet (POE) or add on POE midspan products in addition to wired and wireless networking they give us maximum installation flexibility. Their cameras also range from very basic static cameras up to sophisticated Pan Tilt Zoom (PTZ) units. Axis is also renowned for the image quality their cameras produce, this is an important criteria when you evaluate IP Surveilance products. The heart of their system is the Camera Station software. This software provides you with monitoring, recording, playback and event management. Because the system is TCP/IP network based, remote reviewing and playback are also supported. The package is rounded out with stand alone recording products for situations where the end user wants the data stored off their traditional file servers.

Popularity: 2% [?]

Secure Enterprise, The Managed Solution

Any company, government, or group of individuals utilizing computers to complete tasks is a form of enterprise. This is not the typical view in the IT world. If you ask most people what “enterprise computing” is, they will tell you a large systems and network infrastructure belonging to a large government agency or company. We believe that any group of computers used by an organization of any size represents an “enterprise”. The needs don’t change on the basis of size alone. Any infrastructure should be designed and managed for ease of use, maximum return on investment, high availability, and secure from hackers, viruses and other threats.

Many enterprises take steps to secure their physical presence through locks on doors, security guards, perhaps even video cameras. However, the modern marketplace has become increasingly reliant upon their networks as a means of doing business, storing their intellectual property, client contacts, human resource data, and other critical information. The security measures taken to protect an enterprise’s digital assets often pale in comparison to the ‘brick and mortar’ approach.

The biggest difference between the security approaches of a smaller business and a large company or entity is commonly the amount of risk taken and the perceived impact of the risk. Many small to mid sized business have a greater tolerance for risks because they perceive that the cost of protection outweighs the impact or likelihood of the risk occurring. Larger entities tend to be risk-averse, as they view the likelihood and impact of a security risk to be higher, based on their assets, professional reputation, and other factors.

The Managed Solutions “Secure Enterprise” model is a comprehensive set of products, services, and practices that assist you in protecting your business from existing and emerging security threats, hardware failures, system abuse, data loss and most importantly downtime. By utilizing our experience with the small to mid sized IT customers we can better assist you in finding the best balance of stability, performance, reliability and security while minimizing your total costs over the long term. Any solution this comprehensive is always changing and adapting to the changes in the computing environment and to take advantage of new products and practices. Without this commitment to improvement a system of this nature would become obsolete very quickly leaving your business and your reputation vulnerable.

Popularity: 1% [?]

Donate Old Cellular Phones to a Good Cause

Over the years many of us have acquired a variety of cell phones and we sometimes wonder what the heck to do with them. The batteries can be hazardous to dispose of and it just seems so wasteful to throw them out!

There is an organization named Call to Protect (www.calltoprotect.org). It is organized by a wireless foundation, Motorola and the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, that collects used phones for battered women’s shelters nationwide. The phones are repaired and programmed to call emergency numbers in the area they are distributed. Your old phones can now mean comfort and safety for a victim of domestic violence. I just boxed up three phones to ship to Call to Protect, and I feel great about it. They are, after all, for a truly worthy cause.

Popularity: 1% [?]

Adware Firm Pays $3 Million In Settlement

Reuters reported on 11/3/2006 that Internet Advertising firm Zango, Inc. agreed to pay $3 million to the U.S. government to settle allegations that it’s pop-up ad software was secretly installed on millions of unsuspecting users personal computers.

This is a huge blow to the perpetrators of a crime that has up to this point been quite difficult to prosecute. While difficult to estimate there is no doubt that the impact of adware world-wide is in the billions of dollars. This resulting from lost productivity, expenses to remove the programs and system resources. Considering all the fiscal expenses, the biggest victim is the privacy of internet users. Adware often tracks users web habits and funnels users to websites selling products or services that are related to those habits. In some cases, such as the Zango case, popups deploy on the affected users PC’s forcing them to close the windows manually and making it difficult for them to efficiently use their computer.

This is some of the best news in the fight against Adware in recent history. Hopefully the government will continue to prosecute the perpetrators of these crimes and expand their capabilities to tackle some of the tougher issues like SPAM, Viruses and Malware. For now this is a good start.

Popularity: 1% [?]

Biometrics from digitalPersona

We are pleased to announce that Managed Solutions has partnered with Redwood City, CA based Digital Persona, Inc. to provide Fingerprint based authentication solutions. DigitalPersona products integrate well with Managed Solutions Secure Enterprise with their Windows Active Directory integration. This will enable Secure Enterprise clients secure Single Sign On (SSO) authentication to their domain environment. There are three main benefits to this solution:

1. Reduction of Password Management Costsdigipersona
2. Tighten Security
3. Simplify Regulatory Compliance
4. Enhance user productivity

Contact us for more information or to arrange a demonstration.

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Popularity: 1% [?]