Gregoz Gawronski information technology manager

computer security 101

2010-07-18T13:11:00.000-07:00

Do you know what is the simplest (and cheapest; it's free!) way to protect your computer? (and not many people I know use it) First thing to do is to create an account on your computer for a daily use that has no administrative rights (no rights to install/delete programs, no access to the OS files, etc. etc). I call it a "daily" account, I use it on everyday basis, only if I need to add/remove programs or make changes to the operating system I login with the administrator account. So, in other words you should have at least 2 accounts on your computer, one "daily" and one administrator. When the computer boots up, it will stop before showing you the desktop, you can then choose the icon that represents the account. The "daily" account I created doesn't have a password, so clicking on the icon will proceed to the desktop. However, the other account, the one with administrative rights should have a password and a strong one too (7 characters, at least one lower case, one capital, one number or special character) I use windows 7 so the image above comes from this operating system.

Because the "daily" account has not rights to make changes to the OS, a major threat to the computer is prevented. Also, if at any point a vicious program (or a website) will try to install anything on your computer without your knowledge, it will get prompted for an administrator password, in other words, it will stop the process until you will type the password in, at this time you can evaluate if this is a threat or the installation should proceed.

Investing in a good antivirus or security program is still a good investment though. I can recommend AVG Security, TrendMicro and Symantec programs; I used them all, they are available in a range of $40-$50

Is there really a talent shortage?

2010-07-16T13:23:00.000-07:00

Things are looking up. The economy seems to be getting stronger. Hiring freezes are thawing. People are finding work.

It’s not entirely positive – both job hunters and employers are struggling. Competition for job opportunities remains fierce, and hiring managers seem to have their pick. And yet, positions remain vacant, and employers find it difficult to find what they’re looking for. We still have a talent shortage.

But do we really? With all of those people out there looking for work, perhaps we’re missing something.

(thanks to mcnakblog for this article)

There is something fundamentally wrong with the way the IT people are hired

2010-07-15T12:22:00.001-07:00

I have spent the last 14 years in the IT business administered over 100 end-users spread over Vancouver and Whistler. I have supported AD 2003 server, Office, Exchange server, Terminal server, virtual pc, backup programs, security, firewalls, VPN’s, smart-phones, PBX systems, designed websites, negotiated contracts, managed vendors and suppliers and used dozens proprietary pieces of software. I also maintained 50 websites and over 1400 domains. I dealt with a small army of outside consultants and inside hobbyists to keep my network running and in alignment with business needs. I have at least a dozen skill-sets that would pay me $80k+ if I could truly claim to be an expert at any of them. I am exactly the uber-generalist that you can find in many small Canadian companies. And when I look at the job sites, I think of myself as under-qualified! Unless I perfectly match the job ad; 18 bullet points out of 18, I will not even get a chance to speak to anyone. There is something wrong with the way the IT is hired! The HR office is looking at a perfect match rather than a potential. I could do so much for a company, but instead of working I sit at home, while there are thousands of jobs that are not filled. I keep reading that there is a shortage of IT people in Canada and soon we will see what we saw in the US - the overseas outsourcing. Some guy from India will get a job while I am being ignored or intimidated into not even applying.

you better watch out for those copy machines - security risk

2010-07-10T09:08:00.000-07:00

Given the ubiquity of photocopiers, and the fact they are often resold, both within Canada and overseas without being properly sanitized, Canada’s Privacy Commissioner is concerned about the potential for identity theft.

“Identity theft is a significant and growing problem, and the increasing frequency of data breaches involving personal information is certainly a contributing factor,” says Anne Marie Hayden, Privacy Commissioner’s director of communications.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iC38D5am7go

So, how many IT hats do I wear? Re: my previous post about my day.

2010-06-03T22:33:00.000-07:00

Project Manager
Vendor Manager
Web Administrator
SEO Campaign Manager
Graphic Designer
Network Analyst
Business Analyst
Telecommunication Specialist
A+ certified technician
Database Administrator
Sales and Marketing Manager
Director of Operations
Microsoft Engineer
Coffee connoisseur
Track and Field high jump record holder...ah, that doesn't count anymore.
am I missing anyone?

I believe that there is a place for industry certifications, however not stand alone, but in conjunction with a broader education. (quote)

2010-05-20T12:46:00.000-07:00

Here is my average day:
MORNING: coffee, meeting with the Wi-Fi engineers working on the quote; a fiber convertor on the admin network fails - one department cut off, on the phone right away, replaced with a spare one, tested 5 minutes, mental note (and blackberry) “reorder a new one”; back at the desk added a new user to the Active Directory/email, tested – email’s working ok so are credentials; stopped in the lobby by a guest from Australia looking for a Wi-Fi network, configured and connected in 2 minutes - small talk with the happy guest 30 minutes; call from Allstream, a tech arriving today to replace a bad card on PBX – too many bad TNs on it (make sure this is a new card not a refurbished!) I fix it for now with a punch down tool; mental note (bb too) re-negotiate a long distance plan and PRIs with Allstream; email from the Security “please transfer the video footage from the DVR Sat May15 5:49:30pm” scroll, scroll it’s on the memory stick, packed and sealed for the Vancouver Police Department; found latte from the GM on my desk (thanks Tom!); a user pops his head in– “my BlackBerry kinda stopped working, I guess it did not like the water in the sink!)”; disassembled the PDA into pieces, dried with a hair dryer, put back together, it’s working! (miracle); VP of Marketing calls “DVD with a Christmas message from the President couriered, pls have the video converted into the Mac and Windows friendly format, posted on the Intranet tomorrow, have a nice da…..evening” – 15 minutes of scratching head, Google… yes I’ve got the tool, Flash conversion, Dreamweaver to post the video, latte ended, the video looks perfect, sent the link to the VP, whew.. that was neat. He seemed pleased. LUNCH: business lunch with a telco company to talk about the new PBX quote ($150K project), back at the hotel configure a business centre/kiosk in the public location (Windows SteadyState? Yes! Perfect, done; while installing started the indexing of database of the CRM sales application; Canon called they have accepted the lease I negotiated yesterday; a user from Washington, DC calls, he cannot access the eNewsletter, used VPN to remote into his workstation, cross referenced his credentials, done; while on the desktop I hit Web Link Validator to check 50 websites I manage for broken links; Telus ADSL linked with Shaw Cable and Metrobridge microwave on PowerLink WAN traffic manager sent a warning to my BlackBerry, one medium is down, no big deal, it will failover based on configuration; 7 new desktops arrived from CDW Canada, have scheduled a technician to come and image computers for the Accounting office; a guest calls for help with authentication to Nomadix, added the laptop’s MAC address to the table, working great (many thanks from the guest); a call from the Front Desk: the VingCard encoder not interfacing properly with Softbrands ePitome - re-initialized Interface, it's all good now; the GM sticks his head in the office: Gregoz, I love you! Oh-oh what did I do? Ah, his printer is jammed, no problem, I needed to come and terminate CAT5 cables and create a sub-network in his office anyway; meeting with the Director of Sales on Search Engine Optimization campaign, edited some meta content, edited images in Adobe Fireworks ftped on the web server; mental note (Blackberry too) to renew expiring domains; thought the file server is slow (virus?) checked the definitions, monitored the network for a while, false alarm, the server needs patches, applied the patches, wait until the night time to reboot, (can do from home); afternoon tea; checked voice messages… no messages?? the InnLine2020 telephone voice messaging server stalled? (Microsoft decided to apply the patches and reboot it automatically, grrrr…) logged it in, enabled the application; checked for new emails, fell off the chair! 34 new emails and it’s 4:30pm; reviewed and approved the cell phone bill someone left on the desk; the company e-newsletter needs editing, it’s due in the morning; member of the Standard Operating Procedures team called to follow up the postings on the Intranet; need to backup the Intranet on a remote server and make a CD copy, just in case; EVENING: login to the property via VPN and rebooted the file server, tested, it's all working! Wow, what a nice day, Gregoz!

rain rain rain

2010-05-18T12:29:00.000-07:00

Finally it's raining in Vancouver, first rain in May too. Still plowing through job search, it's a tricky business too. So many options, so many questions, it's a good thing though; going through my resume back and forth I come to realise that I've done tonnes of things in the past 20 years. How can I put everything on a 2 page resume paper?? tricky, very tricky, of course half of the job is done, if there is a reader who actually looks at the resume. oh, well, still it's only noon, time for another coffee.

the Olympics are over, anyone needs a player?? IT manager with 14 years of experience.

2010-03-31T11:08:00.000-07:00

A resourceful and innovative Information Technology Manager with a fourteen-year experience in multi unit systems. Participated in software and hardware project evaluation and implementation. Investigated, analysed and corrected any incorrect system behaviour or networks outages; ensuring that key services are robust and available with minimal interruptions or downtime. Contributes strong organizational ability, state of the art technology skills and information and analytical expertise. Articulate, personable and results oriented bringing the capacity and adaptability to respond to changing market trends and competitive conditions.

one minute view of Vancouver

2010-02-11T15:29:00.000-08:00

http://www.youtube.com/v/HTOmRb1Oc3U&hl=en_US&fs=1&