1 Quick & Easy Security Tip for Today

A brief discussion about "Two-Step Authentication" and your small business network.

Every additional layer of security reduces the risk of unauthorized access, and adding a second method of authenticating business network users may be a great way to deter inappropriate activities. For very secure enterprise environments, this would require a key fob or some external hardware attached to a laptop in addition to a user-id and password. While this method is very secure, it is costly to implement and few businesses choose to do so. However, nothing is stopping us from being creative and implementing two sets of authentication methods for various aspects of business. Let's look at a simple wireless network in a small retail environment. A consumer grade wireless router & access-point can easily implement a form of two step authentication. Consider enabling the wireless encryption protocol. When encryption is enabled, not only is it harder to gain access to the network, scrambling part of your transmission path is now an added benefit. Many small businesses take advantage of this simple encryption method, but few take the second step of authentication to significantly reduce the probability of a network intrusion. Media Access Control (MAC) Address filtering is another deterrent method available on consumer grade routers. This will help restrict wireless access to only those users or devices you authorize. These addresses are uniquely assigned to each network device manufactured. If a MAC address isn't on your router's list, access is denied. We certainly don't claim that this method is 100% secure. If you are in a industry where security policies are regulated, we don't recommend consumer grade wireless routers as a solution. Consult a professional! Review your industry's requirements or recommendations, and if you have any questions - feel free to call our local support team for help. 706-823-2115.
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Two Tips for Your Security Review

Spring is almost here! It is always a good time for a Network Security Review.

Here are a few questions to ask and some low cost tips that are quick to implement on the road to continuously improving your network's security.

1. Have you had any staffing changes in the last twelve months?

If you have had a staffing change recently, take a moment to change passwords, VPN or Wireless Keys, and the security system's code. We recommend this even if the staff left on good terms with you. Why? You never know when their password list was written on your letterhead which got thrown out with the garbage while cleaning their office.

2. Have you had problems with your wireless router recently?

When most small businesses buy a wireless router, they do a good job of making sure it is secure. Wireless Encryption, turning off the SSID Broadcast, and changing the default password are all on the agenda. And then one day recently, it stopped working. The quick fix was..? You hit the "reset" button to get it working again quickly. Now all those default passwords are back, and it is easier than ever to get access to your wireless network.

Changes in your office often result in potential gaps in your security policies.

Take a moment to review or give our Local Support Team a call if you have questions 706-823-2115.

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What You Need to Know: VoIP Lesson 1

VoIP's quality can be great! With proper planning, a needs assessment, and a network designed specifically for your business, VoIP's quality will always be superb. Without proper planning, your voice service quality could be diminished and tarnish your business's image. If your business is considering changing its telephone service, it is critical for the decision makers to understand the different classifications of VoIP.

Classification #1: Voice over the Internet

Voice over the Internet is often the cheapest product available, and it is advertised the most. Why? This type of service lacks the infrastructure to provide proper security or the quality of service business class customers have come to expect. A lack of infrastructure translates into the absence of expensive equipment that ensures quality service. There is a time and a place for the cheapest product available; I want your business to buy the product that meets your expectations and your budget. In some cases, that product turns out to be the lowest priced. If you can tolerate a few dropped calls and diminished quality during peak traffic hours, Voice over the Internet will be a good choice for you and your budget.

Classification #2: Business Class VoIP

Depending on how the service is designed, I've also heard this called Private Line VoIP. A low price is not paramount when a vendor designs this service. However, that does not mean this will be the highest priced product either. Typically this service has circuits (or private lines) dedicated to voice usage. Dedicated is the key design feature. When I dedicate resources to a single task, I typically get better results than if I were to share resources with multiple tasks. The same is true with VoIP. Another key design feature in some offerings is private transmission lines or "private lines." Dedicated and private can be interchanged in the telecommunications industry from time to time. Both words are clues to features that you should consider when choosing a VoIP service that offers quality and security. You will not find those words in the marketing literature of a Voice over the Internet provider. Why not? Your voice shares the Internet with a lot of other people and applications.

Thank you for reading our blog! Our ongoing mission is to keep you informed on technology and avoid any unforeseen difficulties.

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Help to Find Energy On Rainy Day

Is it rainy and cool where you are today? Do you need help finding energy to remain behind the desk for a little while longer. I think it was a sign for me when the following headline popped up as a result of an unrelated search. "Better Posture Means More Energy At Work." Here's a link to read it. Thirty percent more oxygen, better blood circulation, and energy is waiting for you there. The Internet is full of distractions, and at times, you can benefit from paying attention to distractions.

Source: lifehacker.com - Better Posture Means More Energy At Work

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Help with IPv6 - What's the plan?

We all have to prepare for IPv6. I am going to try to make this article for the masses, but the fact is, we are talking about IP Addresses. This subject inherently is technical. Devices that are speaking IPv6 are still rare, therefore our talk today is not urgent. Nevertheless, I've had four IPv6 conversations in the last two weeks. (That's probably four more than last year) With this little bit of buzz, and in an effort to help you prepare, let's discuss a good plan going forward. For the non-technical reader, IPv6 is the next generation Internet Protocol address. Currently while browsing, we find each other on the Internet with Internet Protocol version 4 addresses. Version 4 IP Addresses are represented by 32 bits, while version 6 has 128 bits. The Internet will run out of IP Addresses for each of our devices one day, and therefore we need more address space. This conversion to 128 bit addresses is the solution. All equipment that requires Internet Access needs to speak in this new format. Here's the message we are sending our clients today:

The time has arrived to have the "what if we had to switch to IPv6?" meeting.

As a leader in your organization, it is time to raise awareness at all levels about this issue. Every purchase, every plan, every budget could be affected if a conversion was required.

Justify the cost of whether or not you require IPv6 compatibility today or can it wait?

In many cases, your technology purchases are inexpensive and replacing them for IPv6 will be inexpensive also. In other cases, buying for this compatibility doesn't cost much more. In that case, buy for the future, its nearly free! My word of caution relates to the expensive purchases for equipment that you will use for the next three to five years. For these purchases, ask questions:

Is it compatible today?

If not compatible today, is it a free and easy software upgrade later to be compatible?

If the upgrade isn't free and easy, how much is it going to cost? How does that cost compare to buying another vendor's equipment that is compatible today? Or buying new "again" when it is time to make the IPv6 conversion?

In summary, all you need to do today is be aware of this change. Be smart and remind yourself of this change as you make big technology plans and purchases.

If you have questions, email us, Georgia Business Net is here to help.

support@gabn.net

For some extended reading, Infoworld published a little news on this topic this week:
Source / Article: http://bit.ly/IPv6gabn

The Problem With Doing It the Old-Fashioned Way

“Working 9 to 5. What a way to make a livin.” If a filmmaker were to pay homage to the movie today, what would that look like? Does the Starbuck’s barista accidentally poison Mr. Hart’s coffee? Would Judy, Violet, and Doralee text each other with updates to their plan? Several problems can arise when we start to analyze and plan for technology in our business. The typical first problem is that we are emotionally tied to our current routine. You like it. It works. You don’t like change. “The Old-Fashioned Way” can easily turn into “that’s the way we’ve always done it.” Some independent thought and analysis may reveal a better way. Could the process work better? Could we be more efficient? Could new technology play a role in these improvements? Technology changes so fast that every leader needs to evaluate business processes routinely to unearth the next productivity enhancement. Where would you start? How would you start? I try to start by stopping. I try my best to stop and listen. Therefore I am going to take my own advice and stop for now. I welcome your comments and suggestions. Look for more on this topic soon as we discuss something we all want…making work-life easier.

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Ebay, Skype, VoIP News

Ebay sold Skype today, although kept a minority stake. A Skype vulnerability was discovered Monday. It is not a widespread danger... however, just a reminder to be careful. There are a lot of flavors of VoIP available, call us if you are concerned about which direction to go.

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