Tidbits on Security

I've run across a few interesting scenarios when it comes to security in a corporate environment. My previous was extremely conscious about security, as far as end users were concerned. Very few people had administrative rights to their computer, let alone other computers in the domain. The security group was very involved. There was a host of web sites that were blocked, such as hotmail, aol mail and that sort of thing. They were really strict with that sort of thing.

Currently, my job is much more relaxed to this sort of thing. They allow people to check their home based e-mail accounts and the sort. They let people surf the web. it is a completely different culture, and as an end user is sort of relaxing. It is nice to know that I don't feel like "big brother" is constantly watching.

Now there are some other differences between the two places, that may be worth noting. My old job had probably around 1,000 entry level jobs in call centers and the like. Now, I work with mostly "professionals", and not nearly as many entry level folks. I think this speaks to the amount of trust that is put in the end users. Currently, it is easier to trust the people working there. There isn't 10 people getting fired from the call center every other day.

This all really boils down to informing users. Users that can be trusted, need to be kept informed. Security is an enterprise wide policy, not just the jobs of a handful of specialists.

Secure your computer! Turn it off!

There is the running joke that I've heard at a few conferences. It basically outlines that the only way to completely secure a computer is to turn it off. Unfortunately, that is basically true. However, a lot of time and effort goes into making systems as secure as possible. Security isn't about keeping things from happening, but it is about reducing the probability that something happens. This week, we started to touch on items relating to security. Any time you make data available over the web, there are security concerns to contend with. This goes even further as you make more and more information available, especially items like credit cards and social security numbers.

Lucky for me, I've been shopping and sharing information on-line for over 10 years. I haven't gotten busted by any identity seeking thieves yet. At least now, more people are aware of it. A couple of years ago my dad's bank called him because his credit card was compromised. They were very proactive about the whole thing, which is reassuring from a consumer standpoint. We still have to be careful going forward, as more and more of our lives get onto the Internet. It isn't just about credit card numbers and social security numbers any more.

People have to be careful what they post about themselves on-line. This is part of being "secure". At my work, we had our Internet do a quick scan on facebook/myspace/etc. for anyone coming in for interviews. This was mostly for laughs, but it could cause havoc for some people.

It's all about Networking!

I love networking! In the world of IT, it has to be my favorite topic/subject. I finally completed my CCNA two summers ago. As a continuation, I began studying for my CCNP. The change of jobs put that on hold for a little bit. The only part I was never too crazy about was making cables. Having to make a couple hundred patch cables for a move was never fun.

Networks are the core of all infrastructures; providing the medium that allows communication between devices. Going into the future, it will allow us to expand. There is equipment out there that is extremely mobile. However, this equipment doesn't become worth anything until it is "networked". By today's definition, that means a connection to the internet. As the speed of cell phone networks increase, the number of web services that are pushed to cell phones is increasing, and thus increasing mobility.

One Down, A Bunch More To Go

Thank you professor for the kind words and your information on 529 plans. Well at 40k a year, I think it is at least safe to say that she is going to a good school. The best of luck to her. The 529 plans is definitely something I have to look into. There are a few different options right now out there, so my wife and I have to sit down one day and take a look at them.

As for class...Whew! One week down, and a bunch more to go. The first week wasn't too bad. It was actually a little bit easier to get acclimated to UMUC's web interface then I thought. Even the getting used to homework again, wasn't so bad. It was actually kind of a fun first week.

My secondary education had a huge gap in the middle. Immediately following high school I completed two years and then took a 10 year hiatus. During that time I gained a lot of experience and knowledge in the field of Information Technology. Now that I'm taking IT classes, it is easy to relate with items from the classroom to real world experiences. For those who don't have much experience, I think the current event articles help bridge the gap. There really is a big difference between classroom and on the job learning.

Early on in my studies (for the Network+ exam I believe), I remember learning about the OSI model. I had that thing memorized forwards, backwards, sideways and every way possible. It was part of the Information Technology gospel! I thought all IT professionals breathed this stuff 24/7. Then after stepping into the real world, I realized it was a little bit different. It is very much a fundamental knowledge of everything else that goes on. That made me realize that is what school basically is. It is a foundation on what to build upon; it isn't what exactly happens out there.

The other thing that I found particularly interesting was how the first week got me to compare my past two jobs. As I mentioned, I recently took a new position. My new job is much closer to home (10 miles vs. 80 miles), so I never compared the two much; I was just happy to have the new shorter commute job. The idea of structures made me realize how different the two organizations were, especially in the Information Technology departments. My new job is so much more of open and decentralized structure, while the old job was much more formal. I've been able to sit back and see the benefits of each type of structure.