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April
2008
In this issue
√ Weakest Link in
Network Security
√ Success Story
√
Going Green to
Reduce IT
Costs
√ Employee
Spotlight
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Going Green to Reduce
IT Costs
By David
Tan
Traditionally,
standard business practice for Information Technology has dictated
that the primary focus of IT decisions and initiatives is based on
the economic impact and viability. In other words, how much will it
cost, and how much will it save me over time, and when will I recoup
my investment. This mindset has started to change drastically in the
last year or so, as companies adopt a Green IT mentality, and start
to consider not only the economic impact of their decisions, but the
environmental and social as well. The problem is, for IT, it’s not
easy being green.
Green IT is one
of those industry catchphrases we love to use so much. Essentially
it is the practice of using computer resources in a more efficient
and environmentally conscientious way. This can include everything
from reduced power consumption to recycling and safe disposal. The
trend is growing fastest among large enterprises, but clearly this
is something everyone can do, even the smallest business and home
user. As a caveat, going green can also mean more green for the
company – in the form of cost savings or tax benefits.
Read more |
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The Weakest Link
in Network Security
By Peter
Alexander
Reprinted with permission from Microsoft Small
Business Center
 Your small-business network may
be protected by firewalls, intrusion detection and other
state-of-the-art security technologies. And yet, all it takes
is one person's carelessness, and suddenly it's as if you have
no network security at all.
Let me give you an
example. In March 2006, a major financial services firm with
extensive network security disclosed that one of its portable
computers was stolen. The laptop contained the Social Security
numbers of nearly 200,000 people. How did it happen? An
employee of the firm, dining in a restaurant with colleagues,
had locked the laptop in the trunk of a SUV. During dinner,
one of the employee's colleagues retrieved an item from the
vehicle and forgot to re-lock it. As fate would have it, there
was a rash of car thefts occurring in that particular area at
that particular time, and the rest is history.
The moral of that
story is clear: No matter how secure your network may be, it's
only as secure as its weakest link. And people--meaning you
and your employees--are often the weakest link. It's important
to note that poor security puts your business, as well as your
partners, at risk. As a result, many enterprises and
organizations, such as credit-card companies, now specify and
require minimum levels of security you must have in order to
do business with them.
So what can you do? |
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“With just a few clicks, the staff has access
to all of the information they need – and it’s up to
date! Data is entered only once and the various layouts
are populated.”
- Michele Heinz, Business Manager,
Garfield Park Academy |
Custom Database Gives Private School Firm
Foundation for Growth
Background
Garfield Park Academy is a New
Jersey State-approved, non-profit school for students with
learning and emotional challenges. The school offers a unique
therapeutic environment for students aged 5-21 years in grades
K-12. Garfield’s extensive vocational school offerings prepare
students for active participation in the workforce upon
graduation in the Automotive, Carpentry, Horticulture,
Cosmetology, Retail Trades and Culinary Arts fields.
The
Challenge
Like many private schools, when first
starting operations in the 1990s, Garfield’s data requirements
were fairly unique and budgets limited so the school didn’t
have many options for database solutions. Garfield settled on
the FileMaker Pro platform because it was a relatively
inexpensive and straightforward way to make custom solutions,
and systems could be built and maintained by in-house
staff.
FileMaker databases
developed internally served the school well for a number of
years until 2007 when it started to become clear that the
systems were getting increasingly disparate and harder to
maintain. With the FileMaker base software recently rewritten
to offer a more streamlined back-end, Garfield saw an
opportunity to take a fresh approach. Management researched
both commercial solutions that would have the majority of the
required functionality “built in” as well as custom developed
solutions that could be specifically tailored to Garfield’s
unique needs.
Read more |
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Employee
Spotlight
Jason
Zolty
Name:
Jason Zolty
Title:
Consultant
Education:
B.S. in Bioengineering from Syracuse University
First
job:
Working summers for a company called Odd
Jobs
Little known fact
about you:
I play Ultimate
Frisbee
Home:
Currently Drexel Hill, PA, but just
outside of Boston for most of my life
Word that best describes
you:
Easygoing
Like best about your job: The
challenge and reward of working on a difficult problem
The
most important lesson you’ve learned: Always make a
backup
Life motto:
No worries
Person most
interested in meeting:
Russell Mitchell, founder of Exile
Cycles
Most influential book:
Massachusetts
Motor Vehicle Safety Manual
Favorite movie:
The
Hunt for Red October
Favorite restaurant:
Buddakan
in Philadelphia
Favorite vacation spot: Lake
Winnipesaukee, NH
Favorite way to spend free time:
With my new motorcycle
Please forward this newsletter to
anyone else in
your organization who
might be
interested!
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