Information Technology Business Thoughts by Brian Lillo

Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) - The Pros and Cons

2011-09-07T10:10:00.000-05:00

Pros • Reduced cost in purchasing desktop computers because thin clients often last 2-3 times longer than a desktop. • Central management of all your desktops and control of what is being used and installed on them. • Rapid client deployment. • Reductions in desktop support costs. • Reduction in electricity costs because thin client computers use only a fraction of the energy that a desktop

Android Is Now The Most Attacked Mobile OS

2011-08-31T09:03:00.000-05:00

According to McAfee’s latest threat report, Google’s Android operating system is currently the most targeted mobile platform for malware. Last quarter the amount of malware targeted at Android jumped to 76%. An increase in these devices popularity may be to blame. Reports show that 48% of smartphones purchased in this past quarter were Android-based mobile phones. Industry analysts are curious to

iPad 3 Buzz

2011-08-23T15:05:00.000-05:00

Several industry analysts have been making different predictions about when the iPad 3 will hit the market, what it will look like, and most importantly what will make it better than the iPad 2. One of the biggest selling points is believed to be its quad-core A6 processor. This will bring more performance to Apple users while preserving the battery life. Other changes being predicted are the

Upcoming JSO Power Breakfasts!

2011-08-22T13:14:00.002-05:00

Join JSO Technology for our upcoming Power Breakfast! Come to learn more about this great vendor and the services they can offer you and your company while enjoying coffee, juice, and assorted breakfast snacks. Up and Running On-Site Printer ServicesDate: Tuesday, October 11th from 8:30-10amPlace: Technology Innovation Center- 10437 Innovation Drive, Wauwatosa WI in Room 114 Which is the Best

Turn Your iPod Touch, iPad, or iPhone Into a Remote Magic Trackpad

2011-07-27T10:58:00.002-05:00

The built-in multi-touch trackpad on Macintosh laptops is one of Apple’s better implementations, as it simply allows for easier and more convenient navigation in general. Aside from this, Apple’s Magic Trackpad is a popular way to add multi-touch gestures for Mac desktop users and even allow for remote, distanced trackpad control on Mac laptops (Magic Trackpad works wirelessly with Apple

Nimble Storage

2011-07-18T13:46:00.000-05:00

We have started working with a new iSCSI storage platform from Nimble Storage. This product is unique because of its’ Cache Accelerated Sequential Layout (CASL) architecture. This architecture includes inline compression, optimized data layout, integrated backups, intelligent indexing and highly efficient offsite replication. The most unique feature of this product is the size of the underlying

Office Live 365

2011-05-22T23:44:00.000-05:00

Microsoft is preparing to release the replacement to its host Exchange system currently called BPOS. In preparing for this month’s power breakfast, I signed up for the beta version of this product. Microsoft has really stepped up with this release adding some nice additions. The first feature that current does not exist is the ability to sync Active Directory Usernames and passwords. BPOS could

Battery Charging Myth

2011-05-22T23:42:00.002-05:00

A recent study discovered draining laptop batteries is not necessary. I am sure you have heard that recharging a battery before it has been fully depleted will lower its capacity. It is something I have been told and I believe for years. Most of the lithium-Ion batteries that are in modern laptops and mobile devices do not retain a memory.Constantly depleting those batteries limits their

New Scheduling Software

2011-04-21T06:08:00.002-05:00

Every day there seems to be new and interesting computer programming software hitting the market. One program that I came across was created by two local Milwaukee area students who attend Marquette University. The program is called ZoomShift, and it is basically a web-based scheduling tool that can be accessed by both managers and employees. How it works is employees can post their work

Are you Read for Virtualization?

2011-04-18T22:54:00.002-05:00

Virtualization is very popular these days and most of my clients are looking as some form of virtualization. With tight budgets and the need to provision servers quickly, virtualization helps with both. Virtualization can help cut costs, allows for an easy disaster recovery plan and allows IT resources to be more efficient and flexible. Virtualization also allows you to quickly deploy servers

April 2011 Tech Tip

2011-04-18T21:33:00.000-05:00

I needed an application that would track how long I was on phone calls for my cell phone. I found a great free application from the Android store called Call track. This is a great application. It logs to my Gmail calendar how long I was on the phone and who it was with. Since I am run a service based business, it is very important to track my time and this application makes it very easy.

The business world….is there an app for that?

2011-04-04T21:26:00.002-05:00

While browsing the web I came across an interesting article addressing the doubts that many business people express when it comes to using an iPad in their daily work lives. Many feel that it isn’t secure enough and fear security breaches. Others in the article felt that there simply isn’t a need for the iPad in the business world. After thinking about this debate and doing a little further

Sanitizing SSD Disks

2011-03-24T02:15:00.000-05:00

Solid state hard drives (SSD) are popular replacements for tape and hard drives. Some new research offers some warnings. SSD’s are faster and more reliable than a traditional hard drive and tapes. They also use less energy than traditional hard drives. The issue, according to a new study is they are nearly impossible to erase using traditional methods. The researchers at the University of

IT Security Professionals state Cell Phone Users are “Gullible”

2011-02-16T22:28:00.003-06:00

A security company had the ability to review log files from servers hosting phishing websites.What they discovered was shocking. • Mobile users are the first to arrive to a phishing site • Mobile users are three times more likely than normal web users to submit their login info • IPhones are eight times more likely than Blackberry users to access phishing websites As soon as the phishing

JSO Power Breakfast: Mobile Device Security with Juniper Pulse

2011-02-16T22:07:00.000-06:00

Mobile Device Security with Juniper Pulse Tuesday, March 15th, 2011, 8:30 am-10:00 am Technology Innovation Center, 10437 Innovation Drive, Wauwatosa, WI Room 147 If you’re concerned about he security of your end user’s mobile devices, you will want to attend this JSO Power Breakfast, highlighting Juniper’s Junos Pulse solution. Junos Pulse is an integrated, multi-service network client that

Mobile Device Security

2011-02-16T22:05:00.002-06:00

With the explosion of devices such as IPAD tablets, Android phones and various other devices the question today is how to keep those devices secure? Most of these devices have sensitive corporate data on them and they lack some of the basic security features that enterprises expect. Blackberry has been the king of this world for quite some time and they have the ability to easily remotely wipe

Xirrus Wireless

2011-01-28T01:06:00.000-06:00

Brian Lillo and I have just attended training on Xirrus Wireless in California. I can say they have an impressive product. They designed the product to have radios into one device. This allows you cut your access point deployment in half and also provides some great coverage. They also guarantee that you will get the coverage you need. If we perform a site survey that they certify, they will

STATISTICS IN A RECENT VERIZON DATA BREACH INVESTIGATION ARE SHOCKING

2010-12-15T00:43:00.000-06:00

STATISTICS IN A RECENT VERIZON DATA BREACH INVESTIGATION ARE SHOCKING I came across an article concerning a recent Verizon data breach. The statistics are very interesting. 48% of security breaches resulted from insiders while 48% resulted from privilege misuse. Some more interesting stats were the fact that 98% of all data breached came from servers. 85% of those attacks were not

Insider Threats

2010-11-17T23:16:00.000-06:00

When IT pros think of securing networks, they typically concern themselves with outside attacks and hackers. But, the easier attack or hack in inside your office or a branch office. They also face threats from their employee’s, especially their internal staff. The threats can be intentional with malicious employees or they can be accidental, when staff will mistakenly leave sensitive

JSO Shoretel Power Breakfast

2010-11-17T22:21:00.000-06:00

Please sign up for our next Power Breakfast JSO Power Breakfast-Tuesday December 7th, 2010 8:30 am - 10:00 am Topic: ShoreTel VOIP Communications Systems Place: Technology Innovation Center, 10437 Innovation Drive, Wauwatosa, WI-1st Floor Conference area Room 147 ShoreTel enables companies of any size to seamlessly integrate all communications-voice, data, messaging-with their business

JSO Holiday Customer Appreciation Reception

2010-11-17T22:12:00.001-06:00

I would like to invite JSO clients to our customer appreciation event. Please go to http://www.jsotechnology.com/jso_seminars_events.html to register JSO Holiday Customer Appreciation Reception Saturday, December 18th, 2010 6:30 pm - ?? Place: Country Springs Hotel / Waterpark / Conference Center 2810 Golf Road, Pewaukee, WI 53072 / 262-547-0201 You and your significant other are invited

Android Applications can Leak privacy Data

2010-11-17T22:07:00.002-06:00

Plenty of users are discovering the current hot device, the Android smartphone. I have been using one for at least 6 months. As more of these devices enter your organization, it is very important to understand what security threats the Android operating system pose. Some early research indicates that significant risks could exist. Privacy Concerns A recent test of prototype security

HOW USERS CAN AVOID WEB FILTER

2010-10-02T23:34:00.002-05:00

Most Users are often frustrated when web filtering is enabled in their network. Certain users just want to get to anything online. They also fail to understand that some websites, even work related websites can pose security risks to the company. Listed below are four common methods to bypass web filtering Entering the IP Address instead of the website URL: Some filters work by simple

JSO Technology Referral Program

2010-10-02T23:32:00.000-05:00

Starting this month, until the end of the year, customers and readers of this newsletter are eligible to win one of three different versions of the hot new Apple IPad. Through the end of December 31st, 2010, we would like to enlist your help in having JSO Technology LLC engage with other companies that you feel might benefit from our various IT security, disaster recovery, document management,

Writing and Effective Password Policy

2010-10-02T23:30:00.000-05:00

Passwords are the first line of defense in keeping your information secure. Most IT departments do not understand the consequences of a weak password policy. That is why polices exist to change passwords on a regular basis. Do not go to the extreme when boosting your password security policy. The more difficult the policy, the more likely the user will write it down and disregard the rules.