The Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System notebook that was stolen from an employee’s car this year has caused concern for many individuals who’s records were contained on that device. (Story Here)
What can you do to protect your data from prying eyes in the event your notebook or even a desktop computer is stolen? Easy, you can utilize disk or file encryption… In many cases, it is available to you absolutely free of charge.
One form of encryption that you may already have, if you are using Windows Vista or 7 Ultimate or Enterprise (or Server 2008 or Server 2008 R2) is to use BitLocker drive encryption. This is built into those operating system versions and gives you the choice of three different authentication mechanisms, including a mode that requires a USB key to be in place before the data can be accessed.
Some people have opted for TrueCrypt, an open source encryption package that works with Microsoft Windows 7, Windows Vista and Windows XP, as well as Mac OS X and Linux. It has the capability to create a virtual encrypted disk that resides inside a file on the hard drive, which it mounts as a normal system disk, or to encrypt an entire partition or hard drive, including the Windows boot partition.
There are countless methods to protect your data, from the two listed above, to a plethora of commercial products in software and even hardware form. Some would argue that a “free” tool such as TrueCrypt could not be as robust as XYZ commercial offering, and while that argument has some validity, one thing is for certain; A system protected with *any* type of encryption is 100% more secure than an unprotected system.
Should you wish to talk to someone about options available to you or your business, please call us and arrange for a free, no obligation consultation here in the Greenville / Upstate, SC area. 864.990.4748 or info@homelandsecureit.com
Acording to the IMS, by 2012 more network cameras will be sold in the Americas than analog cameras… And the growth rate continues to climb dramatically after that….
This should come as no surprise to anyone who is familiar with the two technologies.
IP Surveillance Systems offer a multitude of advantages over analog, including return on investment, ease of deployment, enhanced feature set and an owner experience and satisfaction.
Homeland Secure IT is happy to be a partner with D-Link, a world leader in IP Surveillance. Though we offer many others brands, a growing number of businesses and organizations are turning to D-Link’s products. If you would like more information about what IP Surveillance can do to give you peace of mind and security, call us at 864.990.4748 or email info@homelandsecureit.com
We are always happy to give a demonstration in the Greenville / Upstate area, at your office or ours. We can even meet for coffee and demonstrate the remote viewing and management capabilities using an Android, iPad or notebook computer.
Stop wondering what is happening at your business when you are away. Be notified of movement in sensitive areas on your smartphone.
Put an end to the unasked or unanswered questions about personnel attendance or actions.
Watch that blind spot in your store where product has vanished in the past.
Who’s using all the office supplies? You’ll know.
Watch the parking lot, know what is going on outside your walls.
All that and more is possible!
Yes, we’re going to do it again….
We’re going to give away something! Watch here for more info.
To be eligible, you will have to subscribe to this blog, our mailing list or our FB page *AND* be able to pick up whatever trinket it is in person… We’re not shipping it out =) (So it would be best if you were in the Upstate or Greenville SC area…
Take Basic Connectivity to a New Level
The Cisco® RV 120W Wireless-N VPN Firewall combines highly secure connectivity – to the Internet as well as from other locations and remote workers – with a high-speed, 802.11n wireless access point, a 4-port switch, an intuitive, browser-based device manager, and support for the Cisco FindIT Network Discovery Utility, all at a very affordable price. Its combination of high performance, business-class features and top-quality user experience takes basic connectivity to a new level.
Cisco RV 120W Wireless-N VPN Firewall
Product Overview
• High-speed, standards-based 802.11n wireless connectivity to help employees stay productive while away from their desks
• Integrated 4-port 10/100 switch with quality of service (QoS) support for enhanced voice, video and data traffic
• Support for separate “virtual” networks enables you to control access to sensitive information and to set up highly secure wireless guest access
• IP Security (IPsec) VPN support with hardware acceleration to deliver highly secure, high-performance connections to multiple locations and traveling employees
• Support for static routing, Routing Information Protocol (RIP) versions 1 and 2, and inter-VLAN routing to enable flexible connection sharing
• Proven stateful packet inspection (SPI) firewall, plus advanced wireless security to help keep business assets safe
• Simplified configuration through an intuitive, browser-based device manager
• Support for the Cisco FindIT Network Discovery Utility
Figure 2. Back Panel of the Cisco RV 120W
Figure 3. Typical Configuration
Table 1. Product Specifications
Wireless LAN Specifications
Table 2. Wireless LAN Specifications
Table 3. Table 3 System Specifications
Table 4. Configuration Requirements
| Feature | Description |
| Network adapter | PC with network adapter and Ethernet cable |
| Web-based configuration | Web browser |
Recently, Staples Business Depot did the unthinkable, they sold computers that had been returned, and the hard drives contained the previous owner’s private information according to an article on the www.cbc.ca news site which states, “Staples resold laptops with customer data, audit finds“.
The article goes on to say that 54 of the 149 computers tested that were ready to be resold, had banking, tax, social insurance, health, academic and passport information…. Also, that consumer data was found on devices in 15 of the 17 stores audited destined to be resold.
How did this happen? It is likely, a person returned a computer for repairs and possibly, due to the terms of one of the extended warranties, it was replaced instead. Then that Staples either wiped and reloaded it, or sent it off to the factory for repairs, either way, it was then put back into inventory, with the data of the former owner.
The moral of this story is, if you are a consumer or end user and return a computer, insure the company physically destroys your drive, or better yet, let’s you keep the drive (you may have to pay 100 dollars or so for that) and YOU destroy it or retain it for backup purposes.
If you run a service depot or you are a reseller that may offer used or refurbished computers for sale, consider simply replacing the hard drive, rather than attempting a ‘secure wipe’. Services like those offered by ShredDisk in Greenville, SC, will go to your location and shred the hard drive onsite!
It is partially due to the security concerns that Homeland Secure IT does not offer used computers or servers for sale. Nor do we offer used hard drives. If you bring in a computer for repair or service and it ends up being not worth the repairs, we dispose of the hard drive in a secure manner. Make sure your computer support professional does too!
Best of the Upstate 2011 – Computer Service Provider
Please write-in Homeland Secure IT for Computer Service Provider
We believe that Homeland Secure IT is the best Computer Service Provider in the Upstate, and we are hoping you do too!
Therefore, we humbly request that you click on the Greenville News “Best of the Upstate 2011″ logo on the left and take a moment to vote for us!
Our category is item #9, “Computer Service Provider”, please write-in “Homeland Secure IT”.
I believe you can vote daily from June 19th through July 10th…
Thank you so much for your support!
John & Pamela Hoyt
We are taking Monday, May 30th off from work in observance of Memorial Day… Should you need us for an emergency, a voice mail or email will go to our smartphones.
If you don’t know what Memorial Day is all about, WikiPedia has some info for you: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memorial_Day
I would personally like to give honor to those who died serving in our military and thank the families who also lost so much…. We are forever indebted to you… God bless you and this amazing country!
I’m going to just post this link….. I leave it up to you to read it, or not. Believe it, or not.
http://gizmodo.com/5803498/apple-to-customer-service-dont-help-our-customers-with-malware
There is a further link from that page: http://www.zdnet.com/blog/bott/apple-to-support-reps-do-not-attempt-to-remove-malware/3362
If you happen to feel your Mac is infected – seek a professional computer service provider’s input.
Lenovo’s new ThinkPad Edge E420 (1141-55U) notebook has all the features that make for an enjoyable business user experience, in addition to claims of it including “Advanced VoIP features”.
With businesses going global, video conferencing has become the new standard for communication. ThinkPad Edge E420, featuring a low light-sensitive 720P HD camera and multimedia function keys, delivers a high-quality video conferencing experience. These features coupled with noise reduction technology and the new 2nd generation Intel® Core™ i3 processors make it a perfect choice for SMB customers.
- 2nd generation Intel Core i3-2310M processor
- Genuine Windows 7 Professional 64 bit
- 320GB/7200rpm hard disk drive
- 4GB memory
- Spill-resistant keyboard
- Digital microphone
- HDMI 1.4 for projecting HD
- 4.6lbs
- 4.2 hr
All that for $579.oo!
Homeland Secure IT is proud to be your Greenville / Upstate Lenovo partner. We offer the full line of Lenovo products, including the new E420! Call us today at 864.990.4748 or email info@homelandsecureit.com.
- Homeland Secure IT Alert
Homeland Secure IT Alert for Friday, May 13 2011
On May 04, the FBI issued a warning about links related to the death of Usama bin Laden.
The text from the FBI site follows:
Homeland Secure IT Alert
