Social media, becomes increasingly dangerous the more it becomes popular. I recently read an interesting story about a frequent "Tweeter" whose house was burglarized after an ill advised post. The man informed his Twitter network that he was leaving on vacation the following day. The post was simple: Finally going on vacation! Not anything anyone of us wouldn't think to post ourselves.

Of course he had his twitter account synced with Facebook, Tumblr and a few other social networking sites possibly sharing this information with tens of thousands of people. They haven't linked the post to the break in. It could be a random event, however, the point wasn’t lost on me that many burglars will stop at nothing to burglarize homes. We tend to think that internet and computer security has nothing to do with physical reality. But the two are definitely linked and you need to think about keeping both secure. Here are some security tips that work in both the physical and digital worlds:

• Watch What You Say: In the digital world, as in the physical, you need to avoid advertising that you are away. If you bother to stop mail and newspaper deliveries while you’re gone, hire a house sitter like a trusted neighbor or family member will ensure your home looks occupied while away and arrange to have your yard work taken care of in the summer, and snow removal in the winter, then why render all of these preparations moot by announcing to the internet that your home is empty.
• Know your friends: Keeping a tight rein on your private and personal information is key. This holds true both for information you share as well as regulating the people you share with. It makes sense that the more personal information you share with people the more likely you are to eventually become the target of a scam or break in. Don't accept friend requests from people you don't know and if you have people following you, be careful about what you post.
• Teach Your Kids: Stranger Danger is important to teach your kids even more so online since anonymity is so easily abused. You kids need to know not to divulge any personal information, or give out information like family schedules, addresses, places of employment, planned trips or vacations, phone numbers, and information about the physical makeup of the family residence. Even posting about the consumer electronics equipment and other valuable family possessions under any circumstance can be dangerous. Staking out homes virtually is much safer than in person, after all.

This guest post was provided by Iggy Paraphrast. Iggy is a jack of all niches, writing on a variety of subjects, everything from movies and satellite internet to home security devices. If he finds it interesting and informative he'll probably blog about it somewhere. You can visit his security services here.

Talkback and comments are most welcome

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Having an accurate depiction of your network is a fundamental prerequisite to being able to successfully handle system management, troubleshooting and growth. With the advent of network mapping tools, this process has become more simplified.

At the dawn of computer networking, interconnected systems were often contained to a building, if not a single room. But today's corporate networks span cities, countries, and the globe. This complexity has made network management an increasingly difficult task.


There are three techniques that are used to gather network information:

• SNMP – data is retrieved from routers and switches
• Active – probes an IP address range using trace route type functionality
• Route – analyze routing protocols

Measurable improvements have been noted in the time it takes to perform network management tasks. You can easily track inventory, monitor host uptime and downtime, services, applications and a myriad of other options. In addition, administrators can better understand the relationship between devices and the transport layers that connect them. This aids in faster identification of potential network issues.

Network maps are also an excellent security tool, as they are able to provide a snapshot of who is connected to wired or wireless networks at any given moment. If a map reveals a suspicious connection or IP address, it can be monitored or disconnected. Mapping views are customizable, providing as much or as little information as you need.

It should be noted that network mapping is most effective when it isn't viewed as a onetime task. The dynamic nature of networks, demand this to be an ongoing, periodic activity. As systems change, software or operating systems updated, a new map will need to be created to reflect the changes. Some organizations employ a weekly schedule, others, more often. While frequency will largely depend on the size and complexity of your network, developing a consistent schedule is what's most important.

This guest post was provided by Veronica Henry on behalf of GFI Software Ltd. GFI is a leading software developer that provides a single source for network administrators to address their network security, content security and messaging needs. More information about GFI network auditing software can be found at http://www.gfi.com/lannetscan/network-auditing-software.htm


Talkback and comments are most welcome


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When preparing a Disaster Recovery Center, one of the most important decisions is the location of the location of the Disaster Recovery Center. Up until the 9/11, a lot of companies held their DR centers in the adjacent building, and right after 9/11, everyone wanted to go as far from the primary data center as possible.


One of the common misconceptions of Disaster Recovery planning is that longer distance ensures better disaster protection. Of course, increasing the distance between data centers reduces the likelihood that the two centers are affected by the same disaster. But just putting distance between locations may not be sufficient protection. In reality, the best distance for a DR location is dictated by a multitude of factors:

• Minimal parameters dictated by regulators - certain businesses, especially telco and finance must maintain regulatory compliance. It is not unusual for regulators to mandate minimal distance between the primary and the Disaster Recovery location. You must comply to these parameters
• Corporate RTO parameters - the company has decided that the Disaster Recovery Center must be up and running within the time defined as RTO - Recovery Time Objective. This time will include the travel time to Disaster Recovery center and the system activation times. So it is always important to take this parameter into account when choosing a Disaster Recovery site
• Telecommunications services - larger distance between the primary and DR site means higher telecommunication costs and limits the choice of appropriate remote copy technology. For instance, synchronous replication is still very difficult to achieve past the 40km mark. Choose a location that is sufficiently distant but still manages to deliver the required bandwidth for the chosen replication/remote copy technology
• Geophysical conditions -In order to avoid a natural disaster, it is not always sufficient to move your Disaster Recovery center to a specific distance from the primary center. Most natural disasters deliver high impact in areas which support their spread by terrain configuration or other geophysical conditions. For instance, a safe hurricane impact distance was considered 150 km. However hurricane Katrina lost strength after over 240 km inland since there was no terrain feature to stop it. Best location should be in a separate flood basin, off a seismic fault line (or at least on a different one) and with a large mountain between the primary and the DR site
• Means of Transportation - increased distance between primary and DR site may make it difficult for employees to travel to the recovery site. This is especially true in situations of crisis, when roads may be damaged or blocked, or public transport is stopped by strikes. Choose a site that has multiple travel options - railroad, motorway, even river boat
  
• Vicinity of Strategic objects - It is never smart to place your Disaster Recovery center in the vicinity of objects of strategic importance to the country. Such locations are prone to terrorist attacks, and attack by opposing forces in a military conflict. Also, even in situations of natural disasters, strategic locations will have strong military presence that may limit access to your Disaster Recovery center. Strategic objects are military bases, airports, refineries and oil depots etc. Choose a safe distance from such locations
  

There is no such thing as an ideal Disaster Recovery location. The optimal location is the one that minimizes the risks at an acceptable cost and meets the required SLAs and authorities' regulations.

Talkback and comments are most welcome

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