February 5, 2012

A simple demonstration of Thinkpad Durability

While attending the Lenovo Accelerate event in Las Vegas earlier this week I observed live a Lenovo X1 laptop dropped from a scissor lift to the stage. This “test” was well above the 48″ most laptops are drop tested and much higher than the 72″ that the X1 had been tested for. The truth is ThinkPads are probably not going to be subjected to this kind of brutal exercise but it is satisfying to see that if we do have a mis hap that the product is durable.


It’s light, powerful and durable, I’d like to introduce you to my next laptop the Lenovo Thinkpad X1.

Popularity: 6% [?]

Good Personal Choices – the most powerful Information Security Tool

Korean Road Sign

Dali Burgado posted a really interesting article from infosecurity.com today about combating Twitter worm threats being personal. The gist of the article was that the best way to combat these information security threats was by reporting them. We’ll take this idea a step farther in this article, that information security really centers around making good personal choices. Unfortunately a lot of people are not very cautious in their experience and bad choices lead to big compromises, expenses and a bevy of other problems. In fact did you read about the man in Australia who had one of his investment properties sold as the result of identity theft?

What areas do these personal choices affect your information security?

  • Competency – learning.
  • Hardware and networking devices (especially wireless!).
  • Security software.
  • Participation.
  • G Factor

Competency and learning – the core of information security

At the core of information security is what you as a user are willing to do to educate and protect yourself. Do you take a cautious and guarded approach or do you throw caution to the wind and click every link in sight? Perhaps one of the biggest challenges for new users is there are not many best practices training programs available for end users (know of some, please share the wealth as a comment to this post!). You really have to actively seek out the information. There are a number of paths for professionals to get the training including Sans Institute (Dali Burgado who inspired this post works for them!) among others. We provide end user information security and best practices training to our small business clients and you can always inquire at my “speaking” page on my personal blog to inquire on behalf of a group.

Hardware, Wireless and networking device choices

wifiA little bit of prior planning in the hardware arena can close some huge gaps in information security. The biggest risk and most difficult choice the average home owner or business can make is the decision to have wifi on premises. You may have read this week that Google Street View Cars were collecting a lot more than pictures of the streets in your neighborhood. I don’t think the information Google collected will be used against you but to that point if they can do it anyone can do it. The decision to add wireless to your home or business network should not be taken lightly. Educate yourself on the security best practices and realize that even if you do a reasonable job of securing the device it is just one more thing that could be compromised at some point. Any networking gear you add to your network needs to be updated from time to time, do you have the ability to do that? Does the benefit of that hardware outweigh the expense of hiring a professional to provide you with the updates? These are questions that are best asked in advance.

Security software choices

Computers need extra protection against threats, the simplest protection is keeping your software updated. Think about this when you decide to install a new application, it is another spoke in the growing wheel that you will need to keep updated. Software updates are a fact of life in our modern age, be prepared to understand what they are and how to upgrade them. A great resource for finding out about new threats is CERT in fact I highly recommend you sign up for their weekly alerts or feed. In fact I used to do a weekly feature here that will give you an idea of what to look for at the CERT website.

In addition to keeping your software up to date, it is a great idea to protect your system with antivirus and/or a security suite. We became a reseller of Eset NOD32 a number of years ago and have found over time that they continue to provide a quality product. Do not for a minute think that antivirus/security suite software will protect you from everything. It is the “last resort” and even the best products will not catch everything. The personal choices you make will have more to do with your information security that the anti virus software you choose. (In the interest of disclosure we are an affiliate of Eset, and if you use the link provided below to purchase the software we will get royalties, see our product and partner policy.


Click Here - Free Trial of ESET NOD32 Antivirus

Participation choices

Where you choose to be present can have a direct impact on your information security. The allure of social media sites like Facebook is great, and there are a number of advantages, but any place you choose to participate has it’s own risk, practices and learning curve. You should be aware and remain aware of these risks and practices, never assume that because a lot of people are using something that it is safe. The opposite is often true, the criminals often go where the people are because they have more potential targets. I have an article that I’ve started to work on that goes into detail about how social media has really become a vulnerable spot for many internet users. I will add a link to this post when it is done.

The Gullibility and Greed Factor

Gullibility and greed are major contributors to information security compromise. I think Facebook is a great example of where this occurs, I have seem more hacked Facebook accounts than I imagined I ever would, why? People thought that their really easy password was fine or they clicked a link or installed a rogue app. Now some malicious app or user is posting things to their friends walls, sending messages, etc trying to further perpetuate the compromise.

Beyond the gullibility of individuals that help their stranded friend at
greed is an often overlooked factor in information security. Do people really believe they will get something for nothing? Judging by the ongoing “Nigerian”, “419″ or “advanced fee fraud” scams, they do. If it didn’t work they would not be so prolific. Some very senior executives have been caught by these scams in the past, it is believed that many more have been victimized as well but did not come forward due to embarrassment.

Keep in mind the oldest trick in the book by con artists (pre-dating the internet) is to exploit a persons gullibility or greed. If you’re going to be information secure you’re going to also have to learn to be a little street wise.

Summary

Hopefully this will be a good primer and starting point for people to start to move towards a more information secure computing experience. While there are links to a number of great resources we’d be happy to have your feedback about other possible resources, we’ll also feature the best of the suggestions to the article itself. You can share your feedback, suggestions or questions in the comments below.

Popularity: 8% [?]

4 Tips to extend the life of your laptop

Laptops and netbooks are great devices, they provide us with portability, we can take them anywhere and work conveniently with them, well, in our laps. Due to their small size there are some inherent problems, the biggest enemy of a laptop is heat. The components are very similar to the ones in your large desktop PC just smaller, sometimes modified to generate less heat.

Be aware of your cooling vents!

If you operate your laptop on a soft surface like your lap be mindful of where the ventilation ports are. The air that cools a lot of the most critical components needs to enter through the bottom of the laptop. Check out the vents on this Sony Vaio netbook:

Vaio cooling intakes

Vaio cooling intakes

Above: You’ll note that it is extremely easy to block the vents on this Sony Vaio Netbook. Below: Here is a laptop – a Lenovo W510:

Lenovo W510 Air Intakes

Lenovo W510 Air Intakes

The Lenovo has much better distribution but it is still possible to block them all if you lay it on a soft surface. It is always best to lay laptops on hard surfaces whenever possible. That allows them to breath fresh cooling air through the bottom and allows the large side exhaust vents (not pictured) to properly eject the hot air from your expensive and useful laptop or netbook PC. You can keep those vents free using a little blast of canned air when you notice dust accumulating.

Tips Summary:

  1. Be aware of where your intake and exhaust vents are and don’t block them.
  2. Try to place your laptop on hard surfaces when operating it for long periods of time.
  3. Occasionally use canned air to clear out dust or particles from the intake and exhaust.
  4. Consider using a ventilated laptop cooling device if you work for long periods of time.

My Very Biased Opinion:

We are a Lenovo Partner and we recommend and sell their products. With 13+ years in the business I can say with great confidence that Lenovo Thinkpads are the best in the business. If you really want your laptop to last, buy a Thinkpad. While preparing this article I was greatly surprised by the contrast in the ventilation on all the laptops I looked it while making preparations.

Popularity: 6% [?]

Thinkpad 60 million sold (Video)

Managed Solutions joined the ranks of Lenovo partners in 2009. We are not responsible for many of the 60 million Thinkpads sold but many of our clients have given us great feedback about them but we don’t stop there we “drink our own coolaid” and spec Lenovo Thinkpad W series and S series workstations internally.

Popularity: 4% [?]

Lenovo Product Showcase

This page is provided to provide information about the Lenovo products that are sold through Managed Solutions. This is primarily provided for the convenience of our customers, we do not offer e-commerce at this time.

Popularity: 6% [?]

Countdown to Zero Leasing Offer

Our business partner Lenovo is launching Lenovo Financial Services (LFS) and as a part of that launch they are offering special promotional leasing. This may be just the opportunity for your business to obtain equipment that is needed today while preserving cash flow.  This Countdown to Zero offer consists of a 0% financing, Fair Market Value lease over 39 months with no payments for the first three months.

0% Financing Plus 3 Months of Zero Payments LFS Promotion

  • Transactions may be as small as $10,000 and as large as $250,000
  • Transactions must be approved by 9/30/2010 and funded by 10/31/2010
  • Up to 40% of the total sale amount financed may be Lenovo services, peripherals, and software (sold by Lenovo)
  • LFS can finance the entire solution; Lenovo Business Partners (like Managed Solutions) can supplement the sale with additional hardware, software and pre-approved services

It is also worth mentioning that Leasing of all shapes and sizes are available as a part of this new offering, feel free to contact us for more details.

Popularity: 8% [?]

Speakeasy and Covad to seek merger

 

We received information today that Speakeasy is seeking to merge with Covad. As we are a Speakeasy partner we wanted to share this information with our customers immediately. Here is the Email from the Speakeasy CEO Bruce Chatterley:

I want to personally contact you regarding an important announcement that Speakeasy is making today and explain how this announcement benefits our partners.

Speakeasy has decided to join with Covad Communications Company, a leading national provider of IP broadband services in North America and MegaPath Inc., a leading voice, data, security, managed service and VPN service provider.   This new entity combines Speakeasy’s expertise in smaller business communications, MegaPath’s wide selection of products and value-added services and, Covad’s robust network infrastructure. This combined entity creates a new class of CLEC; a Managed Service Local Exchange Carrier (MSLEC). As a result, Covad’s nationwide broadband footprint will support Speakeasy and MegaPath’s voice and data application services. By combining companies, these voice, data, and value added services will be available anywhere you do business and to virtually every small, medium and large business you serve.

This merger is subject to the approval of the Federal Communications Commission and state public utility commissions in many of the states where Covad and MegaPath do business. Until the close of this merger, Speakeasy will continue to operate business-as-usual. This transaction is expected to close by the end of the third quarter of 2010.

Speakeasy is dedicated to providing our partners with the highest-quality portfolio of voice, data services on the market, and this merger helps us strengthen that commitment. The resources of the new combined company will enable us to expand our service offerings and provide more choices and value for you and your customers

I want to take this opportunity to thank you for your continued support. Partners are an important part of both companies and will become even more critical to our combined company. With this merger, you will continue to receive all of the benefits of our existing partnership, plus enjoy the benefits of our expanded network and service offerings. We have some exciting plans for the future, and we look forward to working with you to bring them to market.

Should you have any additional questions, please feel free to contact your Speakeasy Sales Consultant.

For more information, please read the press release posted on www.speakeasy.net/press.

Enhanced by Zemanta

Popularity: 7% [?]

CIMCO DNC Max and CNC Edit Recommended Serial Hardware

Here is the official list of hardware recommended by CIMCO for serial communications via DNC Max and CIMCO Edit:

CIMCO DNC-Max and CIMCO Edit (communications) work with all industry standard serial communication hardware devices including but not limited to multiport serial adapters (PCI) and single/multi-port Ethernet (wired and wireless) serial device servers (converters) from MOXA (www.moxa.ccom), DIGI International (www.digi.com), and Quatech (www.quatech.com). 

Because of the consistently high quality and reliability of device servers (wired and wireless) from MOXA we recommend the following devices for Ethernet based communications: NPort 5610-8, NPort 5610-16, NPort 5210, NPort 5110, NPort 2250 Plus US and NPort 2150 Plus.

For multi-port PCI serial adapters CIMCO recommends DIGI Neo Adapters and related concentrator boxes.

Popularity: 14% [?]

Speakeasy Business Voice Enchancements

Managed Solutions is a Speakeasy VOIP Certified partner, and we provide these services to many of our customers. Speakeasy notified us today of some significant improvements going into effect in May.

We are pleased to announce starting May 5th customers will have the ability to make the following changes to their Business Voice account:

o Edit a user’s

- Phone number
- Extension
- Directory name
- User name

o Reset

- User’s voice mail pass code
- User’s voice web portal password
- Administrator’s voice web portal password

o Swap phones between users

Customers can manage their account by going to MySpeakeasy, logging in, and clicking on the Manage Your Voice Services link.  If a customer forgets their password, they should click “Forgot Password” under the Login button and follow the prompts.

Reblog this post [with Zemanta]

Popularity: 10% [?]

Solving the problem with large attachments (Video) Drop.io

Our partner Drop.io has recently created a functional beta of a plugin that allows you to share file(s) up to 100mb (for free) or greater (with paid subscription) simply via Microsoft Outlook. In this video we demonstrate where to get the plugin and how to use it. We are an affiliate of drop.io and if you would like a paid subscription you can use the featured product links in the right hand navigation menu on our website or by clicking here.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

Popularity: 5% [?]