Security is a multifaceted issue that must be addressed to avoid abuse of your network from hackers and employees. While you are connected to the Internet your network is open to the public unless it is protected by a firewall. Networks that are connected to the Internet are vulnerable to malicious attacks from hackers and virus infection. A well configured firewall will block uninvited visitors whilst allowing remote access to authorised users and services. Many firewalls now offer a host of other advanced features such as gateway antivirus, spam filtering, content filtering and the ability to block specific applications such as instant messaging to add further protection and restrict how the Internet is used within the office. Internally, sensitive information such as personnel records, management reports and accounts data can be protected by configuring permissions that only allow access for those who are authorised. Passwords to access the network should be changed on a regular basis and should be sufficiently complex that they cannot be compromised. We can advise on all aspects of network security, firewalls, virus protection and implement a security policy to protect your data and systems.
If you have been looking for a new business cell phone, then you have probably already spent a lot of time pouring over all the different phones that are currently available. One of the most common complaints from business people is that their cell phones don’t have as much of the fun factor that a lot of the phones made for general consumers have. They have watched in envy as college kids tote around the Droid or the iPhone, while they are stuck with a functional, but boring, cell phone. However, Motorola is changing all of that with their new Motorola Droid Pro cell phone. This has all the features that makes the Droid such a great phone, but it is specifically designed for business users. Let’s take a closer look at this phone to see if it is something that you would be interested in. The first thing that you will notice about the Motorola Droid Pro cell phone is that it has both a full touch screen as well as a QWERTY keyboard. Touch screens are great for using mobile applications and for surfing the Internet, but they’re not very useful for typing out emails to clients or for taking notes at a meeting. This phone seeks to combine the best of both worlds. You can now enjoy the full functionality of a touch screen without sacrificing the keyboard. The Motorola Droid Pro cell phone runs on the Android operating system, which means that you’ll get to enjoy all of the benefits that come along with it. You’ll be able to browse the Web with the Android HTML Webkit, and you won’t have to worry about the unavailability of certain video and flash sites, since it comes equipped with Adobe Flash Player 10. Although this phone gets its data from the zippy 3G network, you can also connect to a WiFi network when you are in range for even faster speeds. One unique feature of this phone is that you can turn it into a 3G Hotspot so that up to 5 other wireless-enabled devices will be able to connect to it. As far as applications go, your options are nearly unlimited on the Motorola Droid Pro cell phone. You will have access to the Android Market, where thousands of developers have put their applications up for download. Many of these programs are even free. Even better, this phone already comes with a ton of great applications from Google to help make your daily life a bit easier. These include Google Calendar, Google Latitude, Google Maps, Google Quick Search, Google Talk, Google Contact Sync, and YouTube. It also comes prepackaged with a few exclusive business apps, like File Manager, Skype mobile, AuthenTec VPN client, Quickoffice, and Mediashare. These applications alone would make this phone a tremendous value, but you can add even more at the Android Market. The Motorola Droid Pro cell phone is more than just a phone. It includes a few extras, as well. It has a 5-megapixel camera so that you can snap a memory anytime you wish. It also includes 2GB of storage space for your important files. No matter how you slice it, this is a great phone. For more information on cell phones, visit http://freesms.com.
From its inception, the iPad has been touted as a media consumer’s appliance. It is largely known for its flawless image rendering, video playback and vast storage space. Nonetheless, the iPad’s purpose does not begin and end on entertainment and leisure alone. It is also purposeful for business-savvy users who would like to experience Apple’s newest addition to its roster of technologically advanced products. Apple is not entirely detached from Microsoft-based productivity programs; as a matter of fact, the iPad has built-in support for Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 and 2007. The manufacturer understands the proliferation of Microsoft’s Business Email service and would not let their users be left behind in business if they choose to go with an iPad. The Microsoft Exchange support will enable push email service and will be made available to the user’s calendar events and contacts’ information stored on their Microsoft profile. It is also possible to manage specific calendar details, search global address lists and inbox messages through this enhanced software feature (get it free and see for yourself – bit.ly/9MDaTK). Security is of utmost importance on an iPad; at the owner’s preference, multiple complex passwords can be assigned to ensure that confidential information remain inaccessible to unauthorized persons. Data exchanged over-the-air or through the Internet can be encrypted to ensure security. Additionally, corporate communication over-the-air is highly protected by a certificate-based authentication process via Exchange and VPN. Even an unfortunate event such as loss or theft of the iPad will not leave important data vulnerable because information on it can be securely deleted through a remote command. Specialized apps such as business metrics tracker, proposal reviewer, travel organizer, and flight tracker have been developed with the iPad’s business users in mind. Much like the enterprise edition of the BlackBerry RIM, Apple also hosts the iPhone Developer Enterprise Program. The difference of the iPhone Developer Enterprise from the Blackberry RIM is that the Apple-supported initiative will enable businesses to create their own specialized apps. Their very own apps will be shared to their employees and will be deemed proprietary by the client company. Moreover, Apple iPad profiles can be easily configured for businesses. Companies can set up their own profiles, complete with details such as VPN, e-mail, wireless network, and password and share it with colleagues on the iPad through Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or the Internet. Most importantly, iPad supports iWork, Apple’s office productivity suite of apps that enables the user to create and browse documents, spreadsheets and presentations. These apps have been redesigned to complement the iPad’s multi-touch system. Keynote slides can be presented, created, and enhanced through the touchscreen device. iWork’s mobile versions of Numbers and Pages can also be managed by tapping elements on the multi-touch screen. These documents can be shared in different ways; for instance, a VGA adapter can be used to connect the iPad to a projector to allow larger displays for a roomful of audience. Microsoft documents can also be imported into the iPad. Presentations, spreadsheets and text documents can be shared on a wider scale by uploading to iWork.com where the public can view these files. Freelancer
Cisco AP 541N is a robust wireless access point with business-class features including Clustering technology for a single point of administration for multiple access points. With clustering technology, you can configure and manage all access points as a single wireless network, rather than as a collection of individual devices without the need for a wireless controller. Building a large wireless network in businesses or campuses with multiple buildings frequently requires multiple wireless access points to deploy. Wireless access point devices have limitation in the network coverage particularly when the obstacles exist. The number, thickness and location of walls, ceilings, or other objects that the wireless signals must pass through, may limit the range. Typical ranges vary depending on the types of materials and background RF (radio frequency) noise in your environments. Deployment a single access point device to cover a large area with multiple buildings such as large office buildings, multiple storey buildings, may not be adequate in providing good signal strength to the clients. Therefore deployment of multiple access point devices would be a solution to cover dead spots. Setting up and configuring multiple devices are generally performed one by one that may lead to miss-configuration and administration overhead. Cisco introduces AP 541N Wireless Access Point with clustering technology. Clustering technology allows you centralize a single point of administration for multiple access point deployments. What this Product Does Cisco AP 541N Wireless Access Point is powered by the latest wireless technology 802.11n with selectable dual-band frequency either 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz and combined with smart antenna MIMO (multiple-input multiple output) technology to provide much greater resiliency and data throughput. Cisco AP 541N Wireless Access Point supports clustering technology for a single point of administration for multiple access points deployment. Clustering technology makes it easy to set up, configure, and run your network. Clustering is the ability of a wireless access point to form a dynamic, configuration-aware group (called a cluster) with other similarly designed access points in the same network and subnet. All access points in the cluster self-organize, cloning configuration settings from one access point to another and balancing wireless channels to minimize radio interference. The cluster also provides a single point of administration, allowing you to configure and manage all access points as a single wireless network, rather than as a collection of individual devices without the need for a wireless controller. With clustering, you can share the following information within the cluster • Wireless network identifier (SSID), which is the your unique network name • Security features, such as encryption settings (WPA, WPA2, or WEP), access lists, and MAC address filters (either allowed or denied) • User names and passwords • Quality of service (QoS) settings • Radio settings • Wireless interface settings • Guest welcome screen Cisco AP 541N supports a secure guest access which is easy to setup using easy to follow graphical user interface (GUI). With secure guest access, you can create a security boundary separated from your private networks to allow your business partners and other visitors to access the internet when they visit your business location without granting them any visibility into your business network and without impeding the performance of your business applications. You can also provide a welcome screen to greet visitors using your guest network. Cisco AP 541N access point supports strong security features including advanced Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA2) encryption, rogue access point detection, access control lists, and MAC address filtering. Cisco AP 541N access point can be operated either in a standalone wireless access point or as part of a larger business network. You can easily add the wireless access points to grow with your business as your needs change, while minimizing operational costs. Deployment can be flexible either using AC power or Power over Ethernet (PoE) to simplify installation in locations where no power outlets are available such as in ceilings to support virtually any deployment. Cisco AP 541N wireless access point is a robust system which can be deployed in stand alone or part of your large business with business class security features to better protect your employees, your guests, and your business. By Ki Grinsing Ki Grinsing was graduated from a technical college (ITS-Surabaya) with the addition of MCSE and CCNA professional certifications. He has prolonged years of working experiences in IT projects. Please visit the articles: Cisco AP541n access point and dgn3500 wireless gateway router
Business laptops may not be the sexiest players in the PC market, but where the actual number of units the big laptop makers ship each year is concerned, they do represent a significant segment. Think about it: You can still write a novel on a typewriter, shoot photographs with film, or play music live and record it with a DAT deck, but very few businesses can get their work done without a laptop. Even a mom-and-pop shop that caters to a non-technological audience needs a PC to communicate with suppliers, customers, and potential customers. E-mail, Twitter, the Web: All of these technologies make today’s business happen. toshiba pa3191u-1bas battery. What constitutes a business laptop these days? The lines get blurrier every time a laptop so classified launches with multiple color options, a metallic finish, widescreen format, or multimedia ports. And with prices for laptops reaching all-time lows, businesses would rather save money buying a whole fleet of cheap consumer laptops than spend three or four times as much on an enterprise model (or so recent sales figures indicate). But make no mistake, business laptops have their place in the commercial world, and choosing the right one can determine whether you run a company that’s successful or one that suffers from downtime. In this buying guide, we will walk you through essential business features, the parts you’ll need, and, more important, how to differentiate a business laptop from a consumer model. How Much Power? Dual-core processors, particularly the Intel Core i series or an AMD Athlon II or Turion II, are the norm in business PCs, though quad-core processors such as the Intel Core i7s and the AMD Phenoms are available for more strenuous business applications. Really thin laptops like the Dell Latitude 13 and HP ProBook 5310m resort to previous-generation Intel Core 2 Duo processors, while business ultraportables, like the Lenovo ThinkPad X201 and HP EliteBook 2540p, can be configured with an Ultra Low Voltage processor, with which a little less speed can result in a lot more toshiba pa3356u-1bas battery life. Look for at least 4GB of RAM. Anything more is overkill and anything less is not worth the few bucks you save. The right amount of memory allows you to do multiple things: open up more programs and windows at once and perform multimedia processes (like editing photos) faster. If you’re business laptop is running integrated graphics (this type of graphics eat up system memory) or if you’re the type who keeps 15 tabs open in Firefox or Internet Explorer, you’ll need to have more than 2GB of memory. Storage: Plenty to Go Around With businesses using video, multimedia PowerPoint slides, and heavy pixilated photos in staff meetings, a spacious hard drive is a good idea. A 320GB to 500GB hard drive is a good balance between economy and space. While meager in their storage capacities and pricier, Solid State Drives (SSDs) don’t have any spinning parts and are therefore more ruggedized and better suited to take a licking on the road. Optical drives are less critical for consumer PCs these days, what with being able to stream multimedia content from the Internet or downloading content directly to hard drives. But IT managers are reluctant to let them go, because you may need it to burn copies of projects for your clients, and you’ll still need to read the occasional CD or DVD sent to you by a supplier or customer. The Lenovo ThinkPad T410s has a DVD burner that can be swapped out for an additional battery or a plastic filler, so you don’t have to be married to the optical at all times. High-end business laptops like the HP EliteBook 8440w and Lenovo ThinkPad T410 have an option for a Blu-ray drive, so you can get your fill of the latest flicks in 1080p HD. toshiba pa3593u-1bas battery. High-Powered Graphics Not Necessary Most business PCs come with integrated graphics, whether from Intel, ATI, or Nvidia. Integrated graphics are fine for business laptops, since you won’t be playing 3D games on the system. (Installing games is the easiest way to make a system unstable, and you don’t want your money-earning system to go down unnecessarily.) Most professionals who require discrete graphics will use them for specialized tasks like GPU acceleration in Photoshop CS5, high-definition video creation, or 3D graphics visualization used in architectural drawings and CAD software. The HP 8440w and the Lenovo T410 can be configured with workstation class graphics that, in addition to running GPU-accelerated tasks, are also certified on all industry-leading professional applications. Stay Connected A ubiquitous wireless connection is vital if you want access to valuable internet information and real-time emails at all times. Every laptop these days has some flavor of Wi-Fi built-in. It gets you terrific throughput, but you have to find a hot-spot or an unprotected network in order to surf the net. On top of that, you have to worry about security and nefarious activities going on within these networks. That’s why many business laptops are shipping with mobile broadband, or 3G wireless modems, built-in. They work in tandem with an available network provider, like Verizon and AT&T, to bring broadband speeds to your laptop wherever there’s a cell phone signal. Many laptops, including the Lenovo X201, the HP 2540p, and Dell Latitude 13, have these modems integrated for a nominal fee. Data plans, on the other hand, don’t come cheap. Depending on whether or not you have an existing cell phone plan, rates can run as high as $60-$80 per month. The good news is that there’s another wireless standard that can mean big savings for businesses. WiMax, or 4G wireless, is a liked to a WiFi connection, except this one spans an entire city. Service providers like Sprint and Clearwire have already put up WiMax towers in 54 cities nationwide, with plans that cost anywhere from $20-$40 a month. WiMax can also serve as a backup internet connection, in case the primary one goes down. Where Do Netbooks Fit In? Price is arguably the biggest reason why businesses should use netbooks. The Asus EeePC 1015PEM and Toshiba mini NB305-N410 are netbooks that are selling for less than $400. The HP Mini 5103, on the other hand, is designed with a business in mind. It has options for a touch screen, a 1,366-by-768 resolution, and 3G connectivity. With netbooks, you can buy and trash several of them before equaling the cost of a full-blown business laptop, like the Lenovo ThinkPad T410. The majority of netbooks are built to surf the Web, run Office apps, and perform other very light computing duties, but they are also compatible with the gamut of security applications, VPN and e-mail clients, and countless hardware peripherals like printers, scanners, and network-attached storage (NAS) devices. I wouldn’t run an entire business on a netbook, but it can be a nice take-along unit for an offsite meeting or used as a portable alternative to your 6-pound business laptop. Battery Bliss A big battery can be your best ally on a lengthy flight or a long commute. Business laptops usually come with multiple battery options. The Lenovo T410 and the Dell Latitude E5510, for instance, can be purchased with either a six-cell or a nine-cell battery. The more “cells” you buy, the longer the battery life. A big battery adds some heft, but being able to run the system unplugged from dawn ’til dusk is worth the weight gain. The HP 8440w has a battery slice that slide underneath the base. Combined with their extended-battery offerings, it can deliver battery life in the 19-to-24-hour range. Final Thoughts A bit of thought on the nature of your particular job should point you toward the ideal business laptop. Paying a little extra for more power or capabilities now will save you headaches down the road. The added value of a longer warranty, specialized tech support, and a more ruggedized frame are some of the extra benefits you may get with a business laptop. If your work is graphics-intensive, you’ll want to opt for a laptop with discrete graphics. When choosing a processor, you’ll have to find the right balance between power and energy efficiency, and in selecting a battery, you’ll need to choose between its capacity and weight. 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