Networking-Smart Blog

Verizon iPhone 4-on/off/on/tools ... or 5 for 4 G/LTE?

2010-11-14T07:09:00.000+07:00

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Network security related business enterprises-stop gap measure to help you protect your network

2010-10-13T20:03:00.000+07:00

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Today's business networks consist of numerous remote access connections from employees and outsourcing firms. Too often, the inherent security risks arising from these connections outside the network are overlooked. Continuous improvements have been made that can enhance security in today's network infrastructure; taking particular focus on the users accessing the network externally and monitoring access end- points are critical for businesses to protect their digital assets.

Installing the correct software for the specific needs of your IT infrastructure is essential to having the best security protection possible. Many companies install "off the shelf" security software and assume they are protected. Unfortunately, that is not the case due to the nature of today's network threats. Threats are diverse in nature, including the usual spam, spyware, viruses, trojans, worms, and the occasional possibility that a hacker has targeted your servers.

The proper security solution for your organization will neutralize virtually all of these threats to your network. Too often, with only a software package installed, network administrators spend a lot of their time at the perimeter of the network defending its integrity by manually fending off attacks and then manually patching the security breach.

Paying network administrators to defend the integrity of your network is an expensive proposition - much more so than installing the proper security solution that your network requires. Network administrators have many other responsibilities that need their attention. Part of their job is to make your business operate more efficiently - they can't focus on this if they have to manually defend the network infrastructure all the time.

Another threat that must be considered is the threat occurring from within the perimeter, in other words, an employee. Sensitive proprietary information is most often stolen by someone on the payroll. A proper network security solution must guard against these kinds of attacks also. Network administrators definitely have their role in this area by creating security policies and strictly enforcing them.

A smart strategy to give your network the protection it needs against the various security threats is a layered security approach. Layered security is a customized approach to your network's specific requirements utilizing both hardware and software solutions. Once the hardware and software is working simultaneously to protect your company, both are able to instantaneously update their capabilities to handle the latest in security threats.

Security software can be configured to update multiple times a day if the need be; hardware updates usually consist of firmware upgrades and an update wizard much like that present within the software application.

All-in-one Security Suites A multi-pronged strategy should be implemented to combat the multiple sources of security threats in today's corporate networks. Too often, the sources of these threats are overlapping with Trojans arriving in spam or spyware hidden within a software installation. Combating these threats requires the use of firewalls, anti-spyware, malware and anti-spam protection.

Recently, the trend in the software industry has been to combine these previously separate security applications into an all-encompassing security suite. Security applications standard on corporate networks are integrating into security suites that focus on a common goal. These security suites contain antivirus, anti-spyware, anti-spam, and firewall protection all packaged together in one application. Searching out the best stand-alone applications in each security risk category is still an option, but no longer a necessity.

The all-in-one security suite will save a company money in reduced software purchasing costs and time with the ease of integrated management of the various threat sources.

Trusted Platform Module (TPM) A TPM is a standard developed by the Trusted Computing Group defining hardware specifications that generate encryption keys. TPM chips not only guard against intrusion attempts and software attacks but also physical theft of the device containing the chip. TPM chips work as a compliment to user authentication to enhance the authentication process.

Authentication describes all processes involved in determining whether a user granted access to the corporate network is, in fact, who that user claims to be. Authentication is most often granted through use of a password, but other techniques involve biometrics that uniquely identify a user by identifying a unique trait no other person has such as a fingerprint or characteristics of the eye cornea.

Today, TPM chips are often integrated into standard desktop and laptop motherboards. Intel began integrating TPM chips into its motherboards in 2003, as did other motherboard manufactures. Whether or not a motherboard has this chip will be contained within the specifications of that motherboard.

These chips encrypt data on the local level, providing enhanced security at a remote location such as the WiFi hotspot full of innocent looking computer-users who may be bored hackers with malicious intent. Microsoft's Ultimate and Enterprise versions of the Vista Operating System utilize this technology within the BitLocker Drive Encryption feature.

While Vista does provide support for TPM technology, the chips are not dependent upon any platform to function.

TPM has the same functionality on Linux as it does within the Windows operating system. There are even specifications from Trusted Computing Group for mobile devices such as PDAs and cell phones.

To use TPM enhanced security, network users only need to download the security policy to their desktop machine and run a setup wizard that will create a set of encryption keys for that computer. Following these simple steps significantly improves security for the remote computer user.

Admission Based on User Identity Establishing a user's identity depends upon successfully passing the authentication processes. As previously mentioned user authentication can involve much more than a user name and password. Besides the emerging biometrics technology for user authentication, smart cards and security tokens are another method that enhances the user name/password authentication process.

The use of smart cards or security tokens adds a hardware layer requirement to the authentication process. This creates a two-tier security requirement, one a secret password and the other a hardware requirement that the secure system must recognize before granting access.

Tokens and smart cards operate in essentially the same fashion but have a different appearance. Tokens take on the appearance of a flash drive and connection through a USB port while smart cards require special hardware, a smart card reader, that connects to the desktop or laptop computer. Smart cards often take on the appearance of an identification badge and may contain a photo of the employee.

However authentication is verified, once this happens a user should be granted access through a secure virtual network (VLAN) connection. A VLAN establishes connections to the remote user as if that person was a part of the internal network and allows for all VLAN users to be grouped together within distinct security policies.

Remote users connecting through a VLAN should only have access to essential network resources and how those resources can be copied or modified should be carefully monitored.

Specifications established by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) have resulted in what is known as the secure VLAN (S-VLAN) architecture. Also commonly referred to as tag-based VLAN, the standard is known as 802.1q. It enhances VLAN security by adding an extra tag within media access control (MAC) addresses that identify network adapter hardware within a network. This method will prevent unidentified MAC addresses from accessing the network.

Network Segmentation This concept, working hand-in-hand with VLAN connections, determines what resources a user can access remotely using policy enforcement points (PEPs) to enforce the security policy throughout the network segments. Furthermore, the VLAN, or S-VLAN, can be treated as a separate segment with its own PEP requirements.

PEP works with a user's authentication to enforce the network security policy. All users connecting to the network must be guaranteed by the PEP that they meet the security policy requirements contained within the PEP. The PEP determines what network resources a user can access, and how these resources can be modified.

The PEP for VLAN connections should be enhanced from what the same user can do with the resources internally. This can be accomplished through network segmentation simply be defining the VLAN connections as a separate segment and enforcing a uniform security policy across that segment. Defining a policy in this manner can also define what internal network segments the client can access from a remote location.

Keeping VLAN connections as a separate segment also isolates security breaches to that segment if one were to occur. This keeps the security breach from spreading throughout the corporate network. Enhancing network security even further, a VLAN segment could be handled by it's own virtualized environment, thus isolating all remote connections within the corporate network.

Centralized Security Policy Management Technology hardware and software targeting the different facets of security threats create multiple software platforms that all must be separately managed. If done incorrectly, this can create a daunting task for network administration and can increase staffing costs due to the increased time requirements to manage the technologies (whether they be hardware and/or software).

Integrated security software suites centralize the security policy by combining all security threat attacks into one application, thus requiring only one management console for administration purposes.

Depending on the type of business you're in a security policy should be used corporate-wide that is all-encompassing for the entire network. Administrators and management can define the security policy separately, but one overriding definition of the policy needs to be maintained so that it is uniform across the corporate network. This ensures there are no other security procedures working against the centralized policy and limiting what the policy was defined to implement.

Not only does a centralized security policy become easier to manage, but it also reduces strain on network resources. Multiple security policies defined by different applications focusing on one security threat can aggregately hog much more bandwidth than a centralized security policy contained within an all-encompassing security suite. With all the threats coming from the Web, ease of management and application is essential to maintaining any corporate security policy.

Frequently asked Questions:

1. I trust my employees. Why should I enhance network security?

Even the most trusted employees can pose a risk of a network security breach. It is important that employees follow established company security standards. Enhancing security will guard against lapsing employees and the occasional disgruntled employee seeking to cause damage to the network.

2. Do these innovations really create a secure environment for remote access?

Yes they do. These enhancements not only greatly enhance a secure VLAN connection but they also use widely accepted standards that are often integrated into common hardware and software. It's there, your company only needs to start using the technology.

3. My company is happy with using separate software, that way each application can focus on a separate security threat. Why should I consider an all-in-one security suite?

Many of the popular software applications commonly used by businesses have expanded their focus to identify all security threats. This includes solutions from both software and hardware appliance technology manufacturers. Many of these firms saw the need to consolidate security early on and purchased smaller software firms to gain that knowledge their firm was lacking. A security suite at the application level, will make management much easier and your IT staff will thank you for it.

4. Do I need to add a hardware requirement to the authentication process?

Requiring the use of security tokens or smart cards should be considered for employees accessing the company network from a remote site. Particularly if that employee needs to access sensitive company information while on the road, a simple flash drive secure token prevents a thief from accessing that sensitive data on a stolen laptop.

5. With all this concern about WiFi hotspots should employees be required not to use these locations to connect to the company network?

WiFi hotspots have sprung up nationwide and present the easiest method for your remote employees to access the Internet. Unfortunately, hotspots can also be full of bored, unemployed hackers who have nothing better to do than find a way to intercept a busy employee's transmissions at the next table. That's not to say employees on the road should avoid hotspots. That would severely limit them from accessing the network at all. With technologies like S-VLAN and secure authentication in place, a business can implement technologies to reduce threats both now and in the future.

Implementing the latest network security technologies is a high priority for IT Management. In today's network environment with many users accessing your digital assets remotely, it's critical to get your network security correct during the planning phase of the integration process.

Obviously, it should be noted that most large companies have multiple operating systems running (Windows, Mac O/S, etc) and that for many of these companies all-in-one security suites face certain challenges in a mixed operating system environment.

That is why I stress that you consider having layered security (both hardware and software) and don't simply rely on software applications to protect your digital assets. As technology changes so do the opportunities for security breaches.

As these security threats become more sophisticated, hardware and software developers will continue to innovate and it's essential businesses keep up with, and implement these technologies.

Monetizing social networks

2010-10-13T12:57:00.000+07:00

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Social Networks are the key to viral grow and monetization of your business on the Web. To understand why, it is important we understand the work of David Reed. Reed's Law in its simplest terms, states that the value of large networks, particularly social networks, can actually scale exponentially with the size of the network. The justification for this claim resonates with the large number of possible sub-groups among the network. As network benefits grow based on the combinations of these sub-groups and the total number of many-to-many possible connections, we move beyond the one-to-one possibilities contemplated in Metcalf's Law, thus the value of the network increases as does the growth in the networks second derivative. For those of you not versed in Calculus, the first derivative is the rate of change; the second derivative is the rate of change of the rate of change. The second derivative is key to understanding how our monetization efforts are progressing, it provides us a benchmark. When a network is reaching a point of diminishing returns (the point at which the second derivative slows) it is an early indicator that problems are on the horizon. Very little has been written on this topic, but I can assure you that a company's ability to monetize any particular network or sub-component of a network is directly proportional to the applicable underlining second derivative.

Suppose your firm's revenue model is based on advertising and on average, you made a penny a click in the early years, but as your network reached critical mass you were able to drive your revenue incrementally to .05 cents a click. As your network's second derivative slows and reaches an inflection point (the point in which the second derivative turns negative), It is clear your average revenue per click will trend back down toward the .01 cent level as you experience the pain of the Negative Network Effect. In order to continue to increase the value of your network, you must find new ways to monetize your network, reigniting the positive network effect. So how do we design a business model that maximizes the network effect? Let's take a look at the process.

Monetizing Network Effects on the Web ideally requires a dynamic Web 2.0 business model with multiple revenue streams, significant growth potential, and the strong balance of revenue, expense, and capital outlay. In order to maximize your Return on Investment (ROI), you must understand the interdependencies of revenues, costs, and capital investment on your Network Model. First, let's examine some of the most common Web 2.0 revenue models.

Advertising based - Perhaps the most successful and popular business model. Well know companies like Google and Yahoo give away search and sell a wide variety of advertising options to monetize their networks.

Subscription based - Very successful model where users pay a fixed fee at regular intervals. Fees can vary by type of account such as basic or premium service level or by options such as advertising or no advertising, etc.

Syndication or Licensing - A growing model as technologies such as RSS feeds (Real Simple Syndication) and content distributors grow. The user typical pays a fee to use or resell the product. The fee charged is often driven by the type of user, i.e. non-profit, business, individual, etc.

Unit based - The user simply pays a unit price for your product or services. If you buy a book or CD on Amazon, you are making a unit based purchase.

Transaction fee -This model has the user pay a fixed fee per transaction or a percentage of the sale. If you selling anything on Amazon or eBay, you will pay a percentage transaction fee based on the sales price.

Revenue Share - A popular model when distributing items requiring large inventories like DVDs, CDs, etc. In this model, the distributor may pay the content originator a small upfront fee and then share a percentage of the actual product sales. This model helps keep the initial acquisition costs low and allows time for your network to develop and reach critical mass.

Cross-network - A new and innovative model that involves strategies such as freemiums and n-sided networks. Freemium is a term that was coined by the combining of the words Free and Premium. The idea is to give something away and acquire a lot of clients or users, then offer premium value added services to monetize this base. The concept has been used extremely effectively by firms such as Adobe, Flickr, LoopNet, MySpace, and many others. Cross-network strategies simply target complimentary but different user bases. The classic example is the demand for gaming software titles when new gaming hardware platforms are released.

Now that we know how we can generate our revenues, we must understand our Critical Cost Drivers (CCD) and how these CCD will respond as our network expands. For each cost driver, we must understand the nature of the cost- is the cost fixed, semi-fixed, variable, one-time, or recurring in nature. This understanding allows us to construct a Cost of Support (CoS) model. The CoS model identifies the relationship of each of our costs to a base unit of revenue growth in relation to a fixed, but sliding network point. The fixed network point continuously moves as your revenues move along a J-curve or similar benchmark. The J-curve is typically most appropriate as businesses initially start to spend significant money on personnel, infrastructure, inventory, systems, and marketing during the start up phase. As your network starts to grow, revenues expand in relation to costs and the curve starts to decline at a slower pace, then flatten, and eventually start to climb. Understanding these interrelationships will assist you in maximizing your networks ROI.

Once we have identified our sources of revenues, our cost, and the relationships of our underlying costs to those revenues, we must model the appropriate J-curve to ensure our CoS model is accurate. In order to do this, we start by taking a look at our revenue positioning strategy. The typical strategies include one or more of the following:

o Loss Leader - Your network utilizes multiple streams of income that individually are not all profitable, but the losers drive traffic and subsequent purchases of other profitable products and services.

o Single Product or Service - Your network relies on a single revenue stream derived by one product or service.

o Multiple Product or Service - Your network receives multiple revenues from at least two products or services.

o Interdependent Product or Service - Your network promotes one set of products or services to drive demand from another set of products or services.

Your revenue positioning strategy will dictate your anticipated timing of revenues and thus the necessary underling CoS structure. Armed with this knowledge, we can adjust our modeling based on our revenue tracking metrics. These metrics may be things like average revenue per search query, average revenue per page view, average revenue per subscriber, or some similar metric. I have simplified this for ease of communication, but in actual application, we must use complex algorithms to differentiate the "life-time" value of different types of network participants, users, or customers. These calculations are based on the relationships between the numbers and type of network members and their interaction as frequent contributors, active members, influencers, etc., it stands to reason for instance, that an active blogger offers significantly more life-time value than an inactive member. Also, a particular user's distance from an already established high life-time value user can significantly impact the value of that individual user. When I am referring to distance from one user to another, I am really talking about degrees of separation. In the late1960s, Stanley Milgram investigate what became coined "small world phenomenon." He conducted an experiment were he attempted to find connections or links between people by asked random individuals in Nebraska to deliver letters to particular individuals in Massachusetts. The basic rules were to give the letter to someone you knew who in return would give it to someone they knew and so on and so on with the objective being to get the letter delivered with the fewest connections.

Through numerous tests, Milgram found that, on average, it took five or six connections to get each letter delivered. This study provided the basis of the theory of "six degrees of separation." In the past, the initiator likely would not know anyone past the first or second connection, but with our online connections, we literally can jump the network and direct connect to the targeted party, via our existing network relationship. Analyzing and understanding these relationships and degrees or distance from our highest life-time valued is critical to maximizing the monetization of your network. As you can see, the monetization of networks is a complex task, part science, part art, part trial and error. However, by applying these fundamental strategies to your business, you greatly increase the odds of maximizing your network ROI.

Social networking-can assist your company going?

2010-10-13T05:25:00.000+07:00

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Twitter. Facebook. YouTube. If I said these words to you years ago you would have looked at me like I was crazy! The aforementioned are websites used to fuel the social networking phenomenon. In case you are not aware of how social networking sites function, people use these sites to form associations with others that share the same personal or professional interests. Millions of people are using these sites to keep in touch with their families and friends.

Now companies are jumping on the bandwagon and incorporating social networking sites into their marketing campaigns. Although, social networking is relatively new, it is gaining status as a new way for companies to effectively market their products and services because of the following:

Interactive
Cost effective
Ability to market 24/7

Interactive

The main purpose of a marketing campaign is to promote your product or service to your target market. What better way to reach your target market than on their own turf? Years ago the typical marketing campaign would have consisted of direct mail, print advertising, and if you could afford it TV or radio ads. One thing all of the aforementioned mediums fail to do is to encourage participation.

Social networking sites enable you to instantaneously connect with your target market and receive feedback regarding your product and service. Regardless of what social networking site your company decides to join, all of them will enable you to foster a closer relationship with your customers-the degree in which this is accomplished rests solely upon your company. Consumers are already doing what they intended to do on these-connect with family and friends-you (companies) are the new kid on the block so it is up to you how you want others to perceive your brand.

An organization's objectives for how to incorporate social networking into their marketing campaigns often differ. For example, Beth Bridges, Membership Director of Clovis Chamber of Commerce states that, "Our objective in using social networking is to create a trusted community and to increase awareness of their events within the community. We also use social networking sites to have more personal interaction with members who we might not see at regular networking activities and reach more of the younger business owners in the community who are using social media much more extensively to promote themselves and their businesses."

It is a safe bet that the majority of companies that are new to social networking may be tempted to mention their product every five minutes on these sites-it is in your best interest not to do so. I realize that many organizations's main objective for using social networking sites is to promote their product. I am not telling you to abandon your objective-just alter the method in how you choose to do so.

People use products and services for different reasons and you will never know any of them if you do not take the time to foster a relationship with your target market. Many have been conditioned into thinking that companies could care less about their customers so it is up to your company to prove them wrong. Those who successfully do will reap the benefit of loyal customers. These customers will then share your product or service with their family and friends. It is more effective if you let your target market promote your product for you.

Word of mouth continues to be an important factor in whether consumers and businesses purchase a product or service. Many people consult with family and friends before purchasing a product or service they have never used. People are always asking others for advice on products and services on Twitter. Not too long ago, I went on Twitter to get feedback on software I was considering purchasing and got a response within seconds. This person not only commented about the software I was considering purchasing but recommended alternative software that was cheaper and more robust. Everyone desires to feel confident about the purchases that they make and although they may conduct some research of a product or service (i.e. Consumer Reports) it does not carry as much weight as family or friends.

Cultivating a relationship will enable you to stay ahead of the competition-provided you are listening to your target market. Social networking sites allow you the ability to gauge if you are effectively promoting your product or service to your target market. Based upon conversations in the forums you have the ability to find out what needs are not being met and create a service to meet that need. Social networking enables you to discover opportunities.

For example, you own a coffee shop near a college campus and have established an account on a social networking site. Students are complaining about not having a place to study during final exams and how they love your coffee because it not only tastes great, but helps them stay awake. How could you use this information? A savvy marketer would find out when final exams take place and expand their hours in order to meet the needs of their customers. It is a win-win situation for all involved. The students have a place to study while drinking your excellent coffee and you have the opportunity to increase your profits while further developing your customers' loyalty to your coffee shop. This opportunity was brought to you by social networking. If your company had not taken the time to interact with your target market using social networking sites your company would have missed out on a golden opportunity to fulfill a need not being met by other coffee shops.

Armed with the knowledge of who you are trying to target, you will be able to determine which of the most popular social networking sites your target market will be found chatting with their family and friends. Although all social networking sites enable you to be interactive, the degree to which you are able to do so is based upon the application you choose. Some of the most popular sites companies are using to advertise their product are as follows:

-Twitter: This is an online micro blog website that integrates with your computer, cell phone and other online social networking sites. Twitter simply asks you, "What are you doing?" You are able to share your thoughts (also known as "tweets") provided they are under 140 character restriction. People can choose to "follow" you based upon your tweets.

-Facebook: This website allows users to create customized profiles sharing information, photos, videos etc. and has applications that are designed specifically to their site. Facebook users can see only the profiles of confirmed friends and the people in their networks. Friends can look at each others pages and comment on their "wall" (this is a spot where comments can be viewed by others.

-MySpace: This website allows you to stay in touch with friends and meet new people. You have the ability to add new friends based upon the information posted on your space.

-YouTube: A popular site that allows users to upload and store videos to be shared for private or public viewing.

-Brazen Careerist: An online site comprised of Generation-Y (ages18 to 30) that displays blogs written by the community that generates thought provoking discussions.

All of the aforementioned sites will enable you to interact with your target market. Some companies make the mistake of becoming apart of as many social networking sites as possible. As with all things in life-quality will always win out over quantity. Meaning, it is better to invest your time building your relationship with your target market on fewer social networking sites if it means that you are able to truly listen to what is being said and share your industry expertise with those on the site. Joining numerous social networking communities and contributing nothing to them will leave people with the impression that your only there to promote your name and could care less about getting to know them-an impression no business can afford to leave.

Cost effective

Companies are always looking to save money and often zero in on marketing expenses (which is the wrong move to make, but that's another article!). Social networking can be implemented into your organization's marketing campaign because it is free. There is absolutely no reason why companies should not be incorporating social networking into their campaigns. The only investment required from companies is their time. After all if you are not willing to learn more about your target market and how using your product or service benefits them-then why should they (your target market) buy your brand?

Social networking sites save time and are cost effective for both companies and their customers. Companies can use social networking sites to gain instantaneous feedback regarding product launches. You can gauge the success of your launch based upon the comments you see shared online. Some companies are even starting to handle their customer complaints on social networking sites. This is a great medium to handle your complaints. People want their issues resolved accurately and quickly-what better way to do so than on their terms? Your customers are more at ease because they are doing something they already enjoy networking with those who share similar interests, family, friends, etc. It is more expensive for companies to attract customers than to retain them, so it is imperative that companies maintain a delicate balance.

Twitter is one of the most popular social networking sites for businesses. Zappos, the world's largest online shoe retailer, is an excellent example of how companies should use social networking sites. Zappos is constantly being recognized for providing quality customer service. Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos, along with his employees use Twitter to interact with customers, handle service issues and monitoring comments being made about their company. Comcast and Dell also have customer service people on Twitter who search for and address complaints online. Companies are always searching for fast, accurate, and cost effective methods used to monitor their brand and social networking sites enable you to accomplish these goals.

Ability to market 24/7

In today's fast paced world there are many people who do not log online during "normal" business hours. In fact, many times people log on these sites during unconventional business hours to connect with family and friends (i.e. friends and family overseas). Social networking sites enable you to continuously market your product or service even when you are not online. The time you have spent in cultivating your relationship with your target market will be evident. Companies who have built great relationships with their customers can rest assure that their customers will continue to "spread the word" about your product or service when your not online.

The aforementioned reasons demonstrate why social networking is an effective marketing technique. Some companies feel that social networking is even more effective than "traditional" marketing techniques (i.e. print advertising, direct mail, etc.). Holly Homer, Founder and Editor of BurbMom.net which is a website for moms in the North Dallas/Fort Worth area rely solely on social networking sites. "We started out with an advertising budget of zero. I wanted to see how far we could get by just doing free things. Our website has been online for 3 months and last month we had over 4800 hits-over 60% of those were local. One hundred local moms have joined our online social network. We have not spent a dime on advertising. I really don't think we could have accomplished this much in this short of time through traditional advertising with money."

Bridges said, "Social networking is absolutely more effective in reaching people who are using social media than the traditional tools-they are going to pay more attention to a message, email, or posting from you if you have established a relationship with them. By following you (or linking to you, joining your group, etc.) they are asking you to keep them informed, unlike a random postcard mailing or newspaper ad."

Companies cannot afford to dismiss social networking just because it is a relatively new marketing technique. Companies that do not engage in social networking are missing out on opportunities to interact with their customers while simultaneously saving money. Social networking requires your organization's time and energy to cultivate relationships with your target market that will go along way in fostering loyalty to your brand. In today's economy, social networking is the one investment you can expect to see a return.

ISO network management Model

2010-10-12T22:11:00.000+07:00

The rumor on how Disney uses Network Management. When the temperature rises on the park grounds at Disneyland all the prices of the beverage vending machines automatically goes up by 10% to fully capitalize on consumer demand. I believe that is an old Information Technology rumor to explain how network management works... at least I hope it is a rumor.

Why Network Management is important.

More and more organizations depend on their networks. Business' the depend heavily on the status of their networks must have network management tools as they grow. If a network dependent business such as ebay, Google, Yahoo and many others go down for even a few minutes, they can loose literally hundreds of thousands of dollars in sales and even a small piece of their customer's confidence which could in turn affect the value of their stock. When every second of network time counts the system must be monitored continuously. The most cost effective way to do this is to use an automated network management tool.

Network Management Standards

The International Organization for Standards (ISO) addresses the five major functional area of the Network Management Model as performance management, accounting management, configuration management, fault management and security management.

Performance Management

Performance management is monitoring, assessing, and adjusting the available bandwidth and network resource usage in order make a network run more efficiently. Performance management is a very important part of the network management model particularly to the business and/or organization that wants to streamline their network's performance. SolarWinds is a great tool for performance management.

Accounting Management

Accounting management monitors and assesses the usage of data and/or resources for the purpose of billing. This aspect of the network management is by Internet Service Providers to bill customers for the resources they use.

Configuration Management

The configuration side of network management is for tracking the hardware and software versions on the network to identify their effects on the network's operation. An example of this is Microsoft's System Management Server (SMS) which has the capability to monitor, manage and track every piece of software and hardware on a given network.

Fault Management

Fault Management is what most people think of when they think of network management. The purpose of this area of network management is to detect, log and alert the system administrators of problems that might effect the systems operations.

Security Management

Security Management deals with controlling access to resources and even alerting the proper authorities when certain resources are accessed. In the same way that a network manager can be paged or emailed when a resource goes down, network management systems can be used to send messages when certain files, servers or routers is accesses. Intrusion detection systems such as Symantec's Intruder Alert have this security management capability.

There are many products that support some or even all of these areas of network management. What most network management systems have in common is their use of protocols such as Simple Network Management Protocols (SNMP), SNMPv3, and Common Management Information Protocol (CMIP). There are a variety of Network Management tools ranging from Intuit's Network Management Software to IBM's Tivoli, Fidelia's Helix to AdventNet. Maybe your network management solution does not include a system that increases vending machine prices as the heat rises, but you can definitely find what you need among these and other excellent tools on the market.

References:

Cisco. Network Management Basics. Cisco.com. Feb 2002

http://www.cisco.com/

RFC 1157. Simple Network Management Protocol.

http://www.faqs.org/rfcs/rfc1157.html

Wikipedia. Network Management. Wikipedia.org.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network_management

ITPRC. Network Management. Itprc.com

http://www.itprc.com/nms.htm

Why most financial professionals just don't get it when it comes to social networking

2010-10-12T14:12:00.000+07:00

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Four Key Reasons Most Financial Professionals Don't "Get It" When It Comes To Social Networking

Most of the Financial Professionals I have talked to seem to be saying the same thing: "I really don't get this social networking thing". Well if you don't get it, my strong suggestion is...YOU BETTER GET IT!

Why? Because there are two things we know to be true:

1. PEOPLE TALK

2. WE KNOW EXACTLY WHERE THEY ARE TALKING THESE DAYS

All you have to do is take a look at these eye-opening growth statistics and you can clearly see why this new opportunity for your business simply cannot be overlooked or ignored:

Facebook has over 300 Million users, and about 600,000 join every day

50% of Facebook users are online every single day
The two fastest growing segments are people ages 35 to 55 and women ages 50 and older

LinkedIn, MySpace, and Twitter have over 150 Million users
Twitter's growth rate is currently over 750%

IT JUST MAKES SENSE:

If you take a look at the business relationships you treasure the most, they mainly consist of your family, friends, loved ones, co-workers and many other people who directly or indirectly support the growth of your business. The truth is that one of the key ingredients to a successful business is the ability to build and maintain high-quality, meaningful, and credible relationships with their clients and within their community. I'm sure this sounds familiar, because THIS IS THE ESSENCE OF SOCIAL NETWORKING!

WHAT'S IN IT FOR YOU AND YOUR BUSINESS?

If used properly, social networking becomes an excellent supplemental marketing strategy, serving as the perfect complement to your existing business plan. The reason why is because it is an extremely low-cost way to expose yourself and your business to the most popular places on the Internet, which directly connects you to the various communities, organizations, and groups that you care about.

From what I can conclude, there are essentially five key benefits:

1. Increase your business exposure and visibility

2. Improve your reputation and credibility

3. Increase brand identity and recognition

4. Enhance awareness of your products or services

5. Provide the opportunity to build a network of people and see this network exponentially growth...because PEOPLE TALK are constantly hearing from and talking about YOU

NOW FOR THE BAD NEWS:

Many studies, including ones in which I have personally conducted, prove that most financial professionals simply don't have what they need to be truly successful in Social Networking, and I have broken all of these details that should hopefully help each of us:

FOUR KEY REASONS MOST FINANCIAL PROFESSIONALS MAY NEVER REALLY "GET IT"

1. DESIRE:

Most financial professionals enjoy doing key things in their spare time that they are passionate about, such as their careers, hobbies, family, faith, sports, traveling, or whatever makes them genuinely happy.
Surveys show that Social Networking is at the bottom of this list of passions.
Most professionals today lack the time, skills, and most importantly, the inclination (or that "burning desire") to build, cultivate, and maintain a successful social network...particularly on an ongoing basis. In other words, this is not something most financial professionals "choose to do", but rather they feel like the "have to do it".
Every Social Network expert will tell you that success is largely driven in social networking through your ability to constantly offer new, valuable, and useful information and ideas. In fact, this is by far, their biggest challenge in working with their clients, since most don't have enough content and materials to continuously educate your social networks.
The reality is that most financial professionals are not gifted or skilled writers or editors, not only for their own industry, but particularly in designing pieces that fit well within the guidelines and purposes of social networks
Also, most financial professionals are not familiar with exactly what to write about, what topics to write about, how often to write about new topics, and how often to submit this information to these networks.
2. TECHNOLOGY:

Studies prove that most professionals who are 40 years old or older are at a big disadvantage, mainly because we didn't grow up in the "computer era". Therefore, we were never afforded the luxury of growing up in their early years to capitalize on the advent of the Internet and the every-growing capabilities of computers and technology.
The reason this makes this particularly challenging for most financial professionals is because most social experts will tell you Social Networking requires at least 10-15 hours of work each week, along with the aforementioned high level of computer and Internet skills.
Purchasing and maintaining all of this technology and computer equipment can be very expensive, as it almost always includes things like training, software, security, database backup, tech support, etc.
There is a never-ending need and requirement to ensure you are constantly staying updated on the newest and most innovative state-of-the-art technologies, which can also add to additional time, expenses, and training.
These social networks are growing exponentially in size and complexity. In fact, today there are over 70 Social Networking websites. This poses two big challenges:
1. It makes it much more difficult to keep up with all of the latest technologies associated with each social network, like blogging, tweeting, uploading, scanning, managing databases, navigating software, keyword tagging, search engine optimization, filtering spam and viruses, and much more.

2. It becomes vitally important that you know which of these Social Networks are worthwhile for you and your business, and which ones are not a good fit. This is an extremely important, and yet often overlooked, point about the number of social networks you belong to.

Many financial professional think they need to be involved in "as many of these networks as possible so they can get the most exposure" when it fact, the reality is the most important focus should be on the quality of these social networks...and NOT the quantity"!
3. INTEGRATION:

If you can believe this, even though most of us have heard of Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and maybe a few others, there are approximately 70 different Social Networking websites today...and growing by leaps and bounds!
The good news is that this has brought about many new strategies and cutting-edge technologies that are specifically designed to help integrate and coordinate these social networks...which essentially allows them all to be able to "talk to each other", and share information. This is being made available because it helps to minimize your efforts to send a message out to multiple networks, and also attempts to eliminate mass-duplication of content.
The bad news is that, with the exception of a tiny minority, most financial professionals are simply not interested (or capable) of investing the time, training, resources, to keep pace with all these new tools.
The other harsh reality is that most financial professionals simply don't have the time, desire, and/or the quick and easy access to keep up with all of these new tools that can help them coordinate their efforts among this wide range of social networks.
One thing we know for sure is that one of the most critical ingredients to Social Networking success is making sure each of your multiple networks are working in harmony together, saying the same message at the same time. Given the current and future levels of growth in these networks and technology, this dramatically decreases the probability that financial professionals are likely to create the best possible results from these social networks unless they are all simultaneously working together.
4. TIME

The truth is Financial Professionals are not any different from other professionals. They too have a huge struggle to find that "perfect" balance between their everyday life events such as their career, marriage, friends, social events, kids and their multiple events, health and fitness, hobbies, sports, email, etc.
Today's difficult economic environment has clearly played a big factor in making it even more challenging for Financial Professionals to find that "proper" balance in our lives between family, work, and other "life events". These restrictions even further limit our ability to set aside a few hours each day to work on these social networks.
The harsh reality is that Social Networking requires a serious and dedicated effort and many hours of your personal time every day as a result of these sophisticated networks, technologies, and constant communication with a large number of changing people.
Among some of the extremely time-consuming Social Networking tasks are: regularly writing emails/blogs/tweets/updates, constantly creating target marketing campaigns, joining a large number of groups and networks, contributing regular and valuable information to these groups and networks, learning how to adapt to unique groups of people, regularly researching and provide new and current content, closely monitoring and managing an increasing group of friends or followers, working in harmony with the many different social networks, keeping up-to-date with the newest and most innovative technologies, etc.
IS EVERY FINANCIAL PROFESSIONAL DOOMED FOR SOCIAL NETWORKING FAILURE?

Of course not! However, unless you are one of the rare few financial professionals with an extensive background in technology, a vast array, access, and the ability to keep updated with the newest and most innovative technology tools and resources, an extensive understanding of all these 70+ social networks, and which one is right for you, a large amount of free time, and a burning passion to become a social networking expert, your best bet is to choose one of two routes:

1. Set your expectations low, work at often as you can, and just have fun.

2. An alternative is to seek the help of the wide array of social networking companies who can help do the large majority of this for you. This frees up much of your time, gives you the ability to maximize your results and efficiencies, and can also dramatically expand your social network and business opportunities.

MY PERSONAL SOCIAL NETWORKING STORY:

I decided to take advantage of the second option above. I hired a professional company who does this for a small monthly fee. Like many of you, I am busy and cheap, so my focus was on paying a small monthly cost, having NO long-term commitment, and having almost all of the work done for me. And so far, I have been extremely pleased with the professional support and progress I have made!

Granted I've only been doing this for about two months now, but if you look at the number of connections I have made, the people I have been introduced to or connected with, and the people that have contacted me, it is truly amazing. Other benefits include joining multiple networks of people and groups, "branding" my name/firm/products/services, and also developing partnerships and relationships that are extremely valuable.

HOW DID I FIND THE "RIGHT" PROFESSIONAL HELP?

I performed extensive research on what types of professional Social Networking Companies are out there today, and who are among the industry leaders. I looked at everything including cost, contractual commitments, what would be required on my part, and what could I expect. I finally chose a company when I saw an impressive interview with their President on Fox News who worked as a Business Coach and Social Media Specialist for major celebrities and corporations for over 25 years..

I strongly suggest if you decide to seek professional help that, like I was, you do some extensive research on your own. With the geometric growth potentials that lie ahead in this great new business opportunity, this is an extremely important decision. Or, in an effort to save you valuable time, I am happy to provide each of you the findings of my results, the company I am currently using, as well as several companies I would also suggest you look into, and which I feel comfortable recommending. So by all means, please don't hesitate to call or email me if I can help in any way.

I hope I was able to help you see why most Financial Professionals not only "don't get it", but even if they think they do, it is very unlikely they are "getting the most out of it". And if you go back and reread everything I talked about above, it should be very easy to understand why most financial professionals are simply not cut out for this kind of stuff...for a wide variety of reasons.

I can honestly tell you that for me personally, this whole Social Networking world has opened my eyes to a new way of growing my business that has extended far beyond my wildest dreams. And the truth is, just a few months ago I really "didn't get it" at all.

So the morale of the story is this; most financial professionals are just like me. They don't really "get" how social networking TRULY works, they probably never will, and their best bet is to work with a professional. As the saying goes, you get what you pay for.

Top 10 affiliate and CPA network

2010-10-12T06:30:00.000+07:00

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Affiliate Networks are a great way for website owners and content producers to monetize their work with related products and services. With literally hundreds of affiliate networks in existence, it can be an arduous task to stay in the loop about the network options with their respective pros and cons. We've picked our favorite 22 affiliate networks; included in this list is a little something for everyone. From the beginner affiliate marketer to the Fortune 500 company, these affiliate networks have the tools, campaigns, and integrity that other networks continue to strive for. Here they are, in alphabetical order:

Affiliate.com

Affiliate.com is a Media Breakaway, LLC company who has been involved in the affiliate marketing arena since 2001. With value added services that include domain registration, email list management, and website hosting, Affiliate.com has proven they are one of the leading affiliate networks. Affiliates are paid on a net 15 basis, and advertisers can place offers on their network with no setup fees. Affiliate.com's blog is the place to check out their new offers and company announcements. Their website home page lists all of their social network profiles so potential affiliates and advertisers can follow them too.

Buy.at

Buy.at has been a pioneer in affiliate marketing since 2002 when it was launched by Perfiliate Technologies. They were then acquired by AOL in 2008 and have become part of the Platform-A department of AOL, and are a business unit of AOL's Advertising.com. Buy.at is the second largest affiliate in the UK, and has been aggressively expanding their offerings into the U.S. Buy.at has many well known advertisers including Ticketmaster, The New York Times Store, Discount Tire, Speedo, and TurboTax to name a few. Buy.at offers a customizable reporting dashboard to publishers, and pays affiliates monthly. Advertisers and affiliates alike enjoy the added level of transparency that Buy.at has become known for.

ClickBooth

ClickBooth is an industry award winning CPA network with many exclusive advertisers. With over 5 years experience in affiliate marketing, ClickBooth has become the premiere network for over 20,000 publishers and brands like Blockbuster, ADT, Dish Network, America Online, and VistaPrint. With a continuing effort to ensure the quality of affiliates and advertisers, ClickBooth has maintained a superior level of network compliance within their network. The ClickBooth Blog features even more info about the company, contests, and links to the major social sites so you can easily connect with them.

Commission Junction

Commission Junction is one of the largest affiliate networks in the world, and they work with some power-house companies like Yahoo, Home Depot, HP, Apple Store, Dell, Staples, Buy.com, E Harmony, and Expedia. CJ has a pioneered many affiliate resources which have been adopted by many other networks. Among those resources is CJU, an area of the CJ website dedicated to educating CJ publishers about affiliate marketing's best practices. CJ was also one of the first affiliate networks to make public internal performance metrics (like EPCs or Earnings per Click) for both publishers and advertisers, enabling both groups to make better decisions about their campaigns.

CrispAds

CrispAds is the affiliate network arm of Intela, a performance-based marketing company with offices in the U.S. and UK. They feature a "blog advertising network," which has allowed bloggers to sign up and earn revenue in a format that is designed for bloggers. Some of CrispAds advertiser brands include Visa, DirectBuy, Gerber, and Toyota. Their blog is the best way to stay current on new campaigns and special announcements.

CX Digital Media

CX Digital Media, formerly IncentaClick, is an affiliate network based out of Toronto, Canada. CX Digital Media works with advertisers like Netflix, DirectTV, U.S. Army, FreeCreditReport.com, and FlyCell. The blog has details about their current affiliate bonuses and promotions, as well as links to their social profile pages. CX Digital Media has an agency component designed to work with traditional advertising agencies for online media buys.

DirectAgents

DirectAgents is an interactive marketing agency from New York specializing in affiliate and search marketing, lead generation, and media buying. Some of their high profile advertising clients include Experian, Scholastic, SnapFish, Terminix, and TruGreen. DirectAgents has been presented with numerous awards, including the Inc 5000 for fastest growing companies. The DirectAgents Blog is a very active affiliate blog, with posting occurring almost daily, and is the best source for media mentions and company events.

FluxAds

FluxAds is a CPA network that takes a hands-on approach by matching up affiliates with offers that match the demographic of their audience. The FluxAds website even has a live web cam where visitors to the website gain a visual insight into the daily activities of the FluxAds team. Their blog is full of quick tips, conference reminders, and has the links to their company's social profiles. They have been actively posting content on their blog since January 2009.

Google Affiliate Network

The Google Affiliate Network is a relatively new player on the scene but has quickly become one of the primary destinations for both advertisers and affiliates.It is one of the more strict networks for allowing publishers to sign up without the proper verification; they take a close look at publisher websites and promotion methods prior to account approval. The Google Affiliate Network hosts their blog on Blogspot. They frequently blog about new laws that affect affiliates and system maintenance schedules, and they have a section for GAN frequently asked questions.

Hydra

Hydra Network is one of the most popular CPA networks and has won numerous awards including Inc 500 Fastest Growing (2007, 2008), and 2009 Internet Advertising Competition Award for Outstanding Achievement in Internet Advertising. Hydra features many exclusive campaigns that can only be found on their network, as well as offers that can be incentivized. Hydra's affiliate dashboard is very well laid out, making it easy to access reports, campaigns, and account settings.

LeadFlash

LeadFlash is a CPA network and is one of the largest players in the cash advance/payday loan vertical. More recently LeadFlash has moved into the home loan modification, debt, and automotive loan verticals as they continue to host some of the highest paying CPA offers on any network. The LeadFlash affiliate dashboard is one of the most simple and easy to use dashboards of any CPA network. Finding the category of offer to promote and integrating it into your website or email campaign is very intuitive. LeadFlash is located in Florida and employs nearly 50 people.

LeadPile

LeadPile is one of the largest lead aggregators and they feature one of the most diverse selections of lead types for both affiliates and lead buyers. Through their custom forms, LeadPile reports that over the last 30 days they have served 61 different lead types. LeadPile has a few different options for affiliates; they can send traffic to a LeadPile web property, embed a form on their own website, or HTTP and XML post directly into a LeadPile server. Their demo videos clearly explain and illustrate many of the CPA lead concepts and decrease the learning curve when starting to work with them for the first time. The LeadPile blog has current company news and lead-gen tips for their affiliates.

LeadPoint

LeadPoint is a lead network founded in 2004 in Los Angeles offering services for both lead buyers and sellers. With many lead types, LeadPoint has services for voice leads, custom forms, and other creative solutions for lead delivery. The LeadPoint Blog is a great resource for all topics pertaining to lead generation and links to their social profiles. LeadPoint also has a UK arm of business that works with many of the same verticals as their U.S. counterpart.

LinkConnector

LinkConnector is an affiliate network which launched in 2004. Their client list includes JC Whitney, MyLife, American Muscle, WordTracker, PR Web, and Monster Learning Network. LinkConnector's platform features some great benefits, including an affiliate widget builder and a linking technology that allows for affiliates to link directly to the advertiser's site while still maintaining a high level of tracking. The LinkConnector home page also has links to their Facebook and Twitter profiles so you can quickly connect.

LinkShare

LinkShare is one of the largest Affiliate Networks and boasts one of the most impressive client portfolios. Advertisers include AT&T, iTunes, Delta, CompUSA, Enterprise, FootLocker, GNC, Hotwire, Macy's, McAfee, PetSmart, Toshiba, WalMart, and Zales, to name a few. LinkShare's affiliate platform features an exclusive CPA area called "Lead Advantage," where publishers gain access to high performing lead offers. LinkShare was founded in 2006 and has offices in both the U.S. and Europe.

NeverBlue

NeverBlue is a lead generation affiliate network headquartered in Victoria, British Columbia. It began business in 2004 and is a subsidiary company of Vertrue Inc. NeverBlue's advertisers include GameFly, MindSpark, PerfectMatch.com, and CellFish. The NeverBlue blog gives potential affiliates some insight into the corporate culture of their company, and offers some helpful tips to affiliates. Their "meet the team" pages are filled with fun facts about the people who work there.

PartnerWeekly

PartnerWeekly is the largest full-service player in the cash advance/payday loan space today. That didn't happen by accident. Their philosophy of continuous improvement makes being sensitive to affiliate needs a way of life. Today, that means offers that convert extremely well, and that generate industry-leading ROI. Tomorrow, that means a dedication by the company to diversification within other non cash verticals. More choice. More opportunity for profit. Business relationships, and how to make them great, is a PartnerWeekly mantra. That starts with the best offers. An unmatched capability to customize them. Supported by world-class customer service from experienced affiliate managers, and real-time communication tools to maximize business results. PartnerWeekly is a business unit of Selling Source LLC, which earned its place in 2008 at #68 on the Inc 500 list. That didn't happen by accident either.

PepperJam

PepperJam was founded in 1999 by internet marketing expert Kris Jones and has successfully integrated several core services to their affiliate network side of business. Among those value added services are search, media buying, and design services. The PepperJam was recognized by Inc Magazine as one of the fastest growing companies in the U.S. Their blog announces new campaigns on their network, company events, and links to a few of their social profiles.

ShareaSale

ShareaSale is an affiliate network with over 2000 merchants and numerous awards. Their website features a preview of all merchants that they work with so potential affiliates can search by category, allowing easy look-ups of relevant campaigns. Merchants to ShareaSale have a minimal network access fee and a very competitive pricing structure. The ShareaSale Blog is the prime source for company info and events.

Share Results

Share Results is an affiliate software and network with merchants that include PhotoBucket, Nero, eLearners, and PlanningFamily.com. Founded in 2002 by Nicky Senyard, Share Results is known for, among other things, the high level of transparency the network provides to both its affiliates and merchants. Share Results features multiple campaign types like CPA, CPL, referral, and rev share, and they make their affiliate payouts monthly via wire, check, or PayPal. The Share Results Blog is packed with great affiliate information and video interviews with industry professionals.

Tribal Fusion

The Tribal Fusion network serves over 20 billion impressions per month reaching over 230 million users. Clients include Classmates.com, Morpheus Media, Beyond Interactive, PowWeb, and Artifact Software. Tribal Fusion has a very handy "channels" page which compares some of their network metrics with some competitors. Potential clients are also able to drill-down the category that their site fits in and see landscape of Tribal Fusion's reach within that vertical.

Zanox

Zanoxis a leading affiliate network with advertisers that include Jamster, 1&1, ZoneAlarm, GameOn, and FerrariStore.com, Amazon, Lycos, Procter & Gamble, Citibank, among others. The Zanox blog features a live cam of their office in addition to links to their Facebook Group, company Twitter account, Flickr photos, and their iGoogle gadget. Zanox works with over a million affiliates in over 190 countries and offers direct support in about 30 countries.

Networking-how effective are you?

2010-10-11T23:17:00.000+07:00

Let's face it, you are not necessarily going to find your next job via a headhunter or in the newspaper (though I am not saying that it never happens this way, it is just more difficult to do so). The best jobs are often not advertised. Most likely, you are going to find your next opportunity via a network you have created - a network of friends, colleagues, and acquaintances - who have access to companies and know about opportunities that you couldn't find out about any other way. Or, if you did find out about an opportunity through a newspaper want ad - you likely have a better chance of getting noticed among the many resumes received when you are introduced through a network connection. However, networks can help in ways other than helping you find a new job. Your network can be a sounding board to help you solve a particularly difficult problem. They can help you further develop an idea or concept you have and can assist you in understanding market trends and help keep you updated on current business topics.

(Social) Networking Tools and Groups

There are some great tools available for social networking. One popular tool is LinkedIn. LinkedIn is a great way to keep in touch with individuals you have worked with before or know from college. It is also a valuable method for sharing your expertise and knowledge in discussion groups and/or responding to questions from others on LinkedIn ("Answers"). LinkedIn enables you to expand your network and meet others by asking for introductions from your current connections to others to which they are connected.

Twitter is another tool for networking. Through Twitter you can share information with others and learn from them. With Twitter you don't need to have a prior relationship or know someone in order to follow them. This enables you to reach individuals you may not otherwise ever have the opportunity to reach. Specific topics of interest on Twitter, such as #projectmanager or #leadership, enable you to connect globally with others who share your specific interests.

There are other groups you can likely find to participate in with like-minded people. For example, I belong to the Employee Engagement Network. This is a global group of individuals who are interested in and involved in employee engagement. Another group I belong to is Business Exchange. BusinessWeek's Business Exchange allows users to create business-focused topics and share information with other business-focused users who are interested in the same topics.

I'm sure you know of other networking tools and/or groups that you have found of value - please share in the Comments field below.

Networking Events and Conferences

Attending networking events is another way to meet others. You can find professional networking events in nearly every city. These events are sometimes focused on a specific topic or group such as for marketing specialists or individuals who are unemployed and job searching. In addition, conferences offer the opportunity for building your network also. For example, PMI® Global Congress is a great conference to attend to network with other project managers and increase your skills and knowledge around project management-focused topics. Most conferences provide networking sessions during lunch or in the evenings - another great way to meet others, make connections and share information!

Networking isn't Easy! It's Work!

Networking does not come easy to many people - you have to work at it. You can't just expect someone who you met once to recommend you for an opportunity or to share information with you unless you work on maintaining and building the relationship with that person. The ability to nurture relationships is a key component of building and maintaining an effective network. Also key is remembering that networking is bi-directional. Your network is just not a group of people who are there to help you find your next opportunity or introduce you to someone who may have a job for you. Basically, they are not there only for when you need them. These are individuals you need to be actively interested in and involved with - people you want to keep in touch with and share information with. You need to devote time to your network on a regular basis. Bottom line - don't just contact your network when you are in desperate need for help. Keep in touch with them regularly and be interested in what they have going on themselves - not just what they can do for you.

For example, let's assume that someone in your network is interested in coaching others. Maybe you just came across an article on the benefits of hiring coaches. Why not share this article with that individual? Include a short note that the individual may find the attached article of interest. Ask them how they are doing in finding coaching opportunities. Maybe someone else in your network is already a coach - connect these two individuals. They have a lot in common! Or maybe someone in your network just moved to a new position in their company or took a new job - send them a note to congratulate them on their new opportunity. I regularly share white papers, articles, and interesting books I have read with my network.

Broaden your network. Don't just network with others in your specific industry. Networking outside your specific job function or your specific industry is a more creative approach and helps you to gain a broader perspective on the opportunities available and on business in general. What you learn from others in your network can help you grow professionally and personally.

Ask for help in building your network. Your network members can introduce you to others. For example, if you are interested in understanding more about the manufacturing industry, ask individuals in your current network if they have any connections in that specific industry. Ask them to make an introduction for you. Similarly, if someone in your network mentions that they are interested in a specific industry or company, and you have a contact in that area - offer to make an introduction. By sharing your resources, you become a valuable partner in the network and help you broaden your network.

What are your networking stories - the good, the bad and the ugly?

What has worked for you?

How has a network helped you develop professionally?

Resources - Harvard Business Review Articles on Networking

The following can be found online at: http://hbr.harvardbusiness.org/.

Harvard Business Review, 2008: Start Networking Right Away (Even If You Hate It)

Harvard Business Review, 2006: How Leaders Create and Use Networks

Harvard Business Review, 2005: How To Build Your Network

Network events are a waste of time

2010-10-11T15:22:00.000+07:00

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...UNLESS you have learned the collaborative etiquette of networking!

Hmmm. Got your attention didn't I? I suppose all networking is good, however, what brings the most productive long-term benefit to both parties is the manner in which the relationship is built.

What is the collaborative etiquette of networking?

Collaborative, n.

1. The act of working together; united labor.

2. To work together, especially in a joint intellectual effort.

Etiquette, n.

1. The practices and forms prescribed by social convention or by authority.

2. The customs or rules governing behavior regarded as correct or acceptable in social or official life

So, collaborative etiquette is: The act of working together within the practice of mutually beneficial social convention. Put another way, it is networking in a way that subscribes to the idea that networking is about using your creative talents to help others achieve their goals as you cultivate a network of people strategically positioned to support you in your goals... expecting nothing in return. Collaborative etiquette is the lubrication that makes things run smoothly. Without it, you may permanently alienate others.

And yet another way... it's practicing the "Go Giver" mentality not the "give to get" mentality. In other words, the "give to get" mentality is giving with an expectation of receiving something from the person you gave to. Not good. This is a set-up for disappointment because that is not the way it usually works. When you give it "always" comes back to you but not always from the person you contributed to.

Keep your expectations in check. Remember, unfulfilled expectations always cause problems. If you don't get what you expect, you get disappointed. Disappointment leads to resentment, frustration and upsets. Having expectations is a luxury you cannot afford in networking.

I am disgusted with the "meet" market mass hysteria that seems to follow very large networking events. And... nothing irritates me more than having a "Networking Nancy" or a "Networking Ned" shove a business card in hand and say, "What do you do?" and before I can answer, they interrupt with their unsolicited pitch without waiting to see if I care. Like they care? It doesn't feel like it. Like I care? Hardly. No one cares about your opportunity until they know how much you care.

Hysteria, n.

1. Behavior exhibiting excessive or uncontrollable emotion, such as fear or panic.

Fear or panic, eh? Seems to me to fit the profile of a networking newbie or someone who flat doesn't understand the collaborative etiquette of networking. The fear may come from their concern about business not being so good or that they feel they must work really hard to meet as many people as they can to help them or they will fail. They don't know that in networking we are there to stir up a collaborative relationship where we truly help each other.

Building trust comes way before giving a sales spiel.

Collaboration is the key to increased networking efficiency. Did you get that? Collaboration! That means to work together! Collaboration is a recursive process where two or more people or organizations work together toward common goals. There is another key... working together!

IMPORTANT: Networking is about helping each other. It is a two-way street!

Before me stands someone who is desperate to get business - coming from fear - rather than take the time it takes to develop a long-lasting relationship.

Desperate, n.

1. One desperate or hopeless.

Another irritant is having an MLMer (multi-level or network marketer) try to recruit me into their fold without telling me hardly anything about their scheme where I can make $20,000 a month. It seems to me that it should be this way: help someone understand and like the product by being a user of the product and much later... introduce them to a way that they might make a few extra dollars in their spare time. I know how it works because at one point in my life I was a very successful MLMer. Networking events are not about recruiting. If you are someone who does this, you will soon get a reputation as a networking pest and your networking opportunities will soon evaporate.

Sometimes I want to scream, "Stop trying to sell me. I don't even know you and you certainly have no clue about what my motivation is for being here!"

My friend, Jim Rohn once said, "The more you know, the less you need to say." Sometimes is is wise to just keep your mouth shut and let the other person blab on about whatever it is they do. Then excuse yourself politely and move on to meet someone else.

Be clear. Networking is using your creative talents to help others achieve their goals as you cultivate a network of people strategically positioned to support you in your goals... expecting nothing in return! And if a business lead grows from conversation with another networker that is the bonus! Not the intent.

At a networking event what comes first?

1. Small Talk

No serious banter about "your" business. It is get acquainted time. Introduce yourself then ask, "What do you do?" Show an interest in others. Establish eye contact, then raise a non-threatening small-talk topic. The purpose of small talk is to break the ice, build rapport and gain trust. Do you both "click?" Without rapport, there is no foundation to develop a long-term relationship. Offer a firm handshake. Wear a name tag on the right side of your jacket or dress.

"You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people, than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you." - Dale Carnegie

Observe and listen. Listening is the heart of communication. Target the person's interests. Be mentally engaged in what the other person is saying. Interact with positive observations and questions about how you might help them. Look for a keyword or phrase that is in some way related to the topic that you would like to discuss with this person. Ask relevant questions and avoid wasting his or her time. Determine what the person believes he or she needs related to you, then link yourself to their needs. Offer to help if you think you can contribute. Never be afraid to take initiative. Be pleasant, respectful and polite.

Avoid any type of sarcasm or negativity. Offer no, "Business is bad" talk. Keep the conversation positive. Insert positive reinforcement into the conversation. Make good eye contact. Be relaxed and confident. Respect their personal space. Easy on the business cards (see #2). Never be afraid to ask for help. Most people are flattered to be asked for assistance, tips and advice.

"Be careful of receiving counsel from unproductive or toxic people-they don't follow their own advice. Healthy people will not join in your sorrow-they will show you a brighter vision!" - Steven Connor

Maintain focus on the one you are talking with. It is rude to be looking over their shoulder to see who else would be your next likely victim. It should only take a few minutes of small talk to help you make the right choice about whether this is someone you want to follow-up with.

"People who listen well are so memorable because they make us feel special when we are face-to-face. These smart and savvy communicators do not allow themselves to be distracted by phones, buzzing text messages or Blackberrys. They don't walk into a party, a meeting or a memorial wearing a Bluetooth. They are "in the moment" not waiting for someone, anyone -- to call, text, IM or twitter in the next moment. And we love them for that." - Susan RoAne

Postpone further discussions if the person wants to get down to business right away and there are others present. Exchanges business cards and set an appointment to consider the matter in greater depth. You must carefully consider who you choose to connect with. For the people you do reject, show respect by offering alternatives. Perhaps someone else in your network could help them.

2. Exchange Business Cards... MAYBE!

I seldom offer my business card to someone I would rather not do business with. If they ask, I will oblige. Make business card exchanges meaningful. Only exchange cards with someone when it will be of benefit to both of you. "Hello, my name is Boring Bobby, have a card" doesn't work.

Demonstrate that you have common sense. Send the appropriate message to others in order to avoid misunderstandings and foster trust. If you want to pursue the relationship say so and follow up. If not say, "Please excuse me, I have enjoyed speaking with you." Smile and move on.

3. Don't butt in!

If you see several people talking and you would like to join them, approach with sensitivity. Stand quietly several feet away for a second or two. If there is a break in the conversation or if someone in the group happens to look your way -- use your good judgment -- and take a step forward and introduce yourself. If that doesn't happen, exit immediately with "excuse me." It should be clear that they choose not to invite anyone else into the conversation.

4. Butt Out!

There is always one Boring Bobby or Boring Betty at every large networking event. These are the people you want to get away from as soon as possible. Say, "I would like to grab a Pepsi. Feel free to mingle with others." Or... offer to introduce them to someone else, then make the introductions and as they begin to chat with each other, politely excuse yourself. People like this are a challenge. Never feel obliged to suffer through their monotony at a networking event.

5. Keep your word!

Follow through on your promises. Never, I repeat, never offer anything unless you plan to follow through.

6. Follow up! - Promptly

Think of creative ways to keep in touch. Thank people for leads, tips and ideas even if their suggestions don't work out; your contacts will appreciate the follow-up. E-mail and a phone call are okay but a face-to-face connection with someone you want to know better is best. Practice appropriate persistence and be sensitive to time constraints.

My guess would be that the biggest percentage of people who attend large networking events have had little, if any, training on how to network correctly. They are not even aware of the simple slip-ups that can cascade into full-blown avoidance by others in the network. They are thinking: "Sell, sell, sell." Wrong!

They mostly see it as an opportunity to collect business leads. By the way, working the room does not mean meeting as many people as you can and collecting the most business cards. A poor approach to networking can have a devastating effect however an effective approach using collaborative etiquette can open countless doors and opportunities.

At a recent networking event I stopped at the name tag table and asked to speak with the person who was hosting the event. The young women behind the table immediately looked around the room, spotted the host and said, "Come with me. I'll introduce you to her." That's class.

Why is effective networking so important? Because networking isn't just a great idea anymore; networking is an essential and long-term component of developing and maintaining long-term business relationships. The basics of effective networking are easy to learn, but as with most professional skills, they must be practiced and perfected in order to be effective.

So... are we clear? Networking is NOT about selling or collecting business cards. It's about building relationships. Always remember, successful networking is based on giving more than you take.

Never assume that those within your network share your religious, political, or social beliefs. It is best to stay away from these topics.

You would be wise to create a 5 to 10 second "elevator speech" for a large event. One that briefly describes what you do. At smaller events you will often be asked to introduce yourself and a 30-second connection (some call it an "elevator speech") would be more appropriate.

If you are unclear about what networking is about get help before you damage your reputation and become someone others avoid when they see you coming. (You know people like that, don't you?) Don't become one of them. Hire a coach. It is important to learn the ropes from someone who knows the ropes.

The proper application of collaborative etiquette in networking will empower you to build and nurture your own network. Make a commitment to put these powerful guidelines into action and you'll be attracting a vast number of new team members and business partners into your network. Put to use the guidelines of collaborative etiquette to your networking opportunities and before long the contacts will be coming to you, instead of the other way around.

Commitment, n.

1 an agreement or pledge to do something in the future; the state or an instance of being obligated or emotionally impelled

The quality of relationships you build in networking are far superior to the quantity of friends you make.

"These lasting, mutually beneficial business relationships begin with projecting an outstanding impression, but are sustained through trust and the investment of time and effort to help others." - Aviva Shiff, co-founder of Spark Training & Coaching Associates

Setting network--wired or wireless network?

2010-10-11T07:22:00.000+07:00

Wire or Wire

Wireless network 's, fashion, but your installation will fail if you choose the correct type network and configure it correctly.Wired network s requires that each computer connected via cable to a central location, called a switch or hub is often include installation cables through walls and ceilings and could pose a problem for anyone.
If the computers in your home or Office all within 500 feet of each other, wireless network might be for you.Wireless network has no cable it can connect computers in different floors or even across the street. Along with the obvious advantage wireless wireless network s more convenient, since installation, customization and configuration changes can be done within a few minutes, without careful planning.
Wireless network s, but not as fast as a wire network sec.If you play computer games or to watch streaming video or other high-speed wireless multimedia, network might not have enough room. but if you just want to check e-mail and browse the Web, wireless network is a good choice. To set up a wireless network, you need a wireless access point and wireless network card for each computer. Will need to purchase a wireless card network for each desktop, although most new laptops are equipped with one.
Security is not a great deal of interest in wired network because someone will have to physically connect a wired network recess in wireless network s car parked outside with a laptop can easily connect to your network if you don't have. To prevent this, the wireless encryption network connections, or set a password for network or do both. DIY or call a?

If you decide to use wired network, consider whether you install it yourself or hire a professional if you have a small number of computers that are located very close to each other, you may be able to buy pre-assembled network cables and assemble them yourself.If you need to bind multiple floors and lay the wires across ceilings and walls, require professional installation.If you go this route, it is best to start with a plan of your Office or home, determine what your current needs and consider how designing network can be adapted to future needs.Professional installation should be familiar with TIA EIA standards, local conductors and electrical codes and do custom cables cabling specialists network often judged by the purity of their work, because sloppy cables are more likely to get worse over time, it is more difficult to manage and create a fire hazard.
With wired or wireless network network are not mutually exclusive in many small offices have wired network in addition to one or more s wireless network, depending on its needs. Wireless network s continue to receive faster, safer and cheaper. Wired network s will continue to co-exist with wireless network s, often in the same homes and offices.

Network Marketing Recruiting Secrets Revealed

2010-10-10T23:47:00.000+07:00

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In this article, we're going to cover how you can maximize your network marketing recruiting efforts while dramatically increasing the retention rate and overall performance of your downline. I am not going to sell you on anything whatsoever. I am not going to attempt to convince you to join my opportunity and I am not going to hold anything back on what you need to do to be successful. This information is my gift to you with absolutely no strings attached. Why I am giving this information away for free? My satisfaction comes from knowing that I have made a difference in the lives of people that are struggling with a home-based business opportunity and I know how that feels. It also means that my chosen industry of network marketing will continue to be respected as a viable and logical alternative to conventional business and employment.

As you find yourself understanding the principles I'm going to outline, you're going to have a clearer picture of exactly what you need to do to make it to the top of your company's compensation plan. Many of these secrets will doubtlessly be very scary to some people. However, if you're the kind of person who is ready for success, you're going to benefit from this information by leaps and bounds.

The cornerstone secret to recruiting for your network marketing opportunity is integrity. As obvious as this sounds, there is much more to it. When a person is recruiting for their network marketing opportunity they don't set out to give their prospects the wrong idea of what network marketing is (I least I hope they don't) but what sometimes ends up happening, is that their level of excitement coupled with a misunderstanding of what network marketing is and is not, ends up leading their new independent representatives down the wrong road. This leads to frustration and ultimately ends with a collapse of their downline. With the knowledge I'm going to give here, you'll be able to avoid this unforeseen pitfall.

I have been hugely successful in network marketing, but it took many trials and errors before discovering how to succeed in this lucrative business, as well as how to keep people in my downline and help them succeed. In one opportunity I was able to recruit at least one person a day starting from day one, but I found that they would soon fall off out of abject frustration that they were not able to produce the results I was able to. At the time, I didn't clearly understand what I was doing wrong but over the years the secrets to network marketing success have slowly been revealed to me.

What can you do to make sure that when you're out recruiting for your network marketing opportunity that people will stay involved and that you'll be successful? You must understand exactly what network marketing is and who actually makes it to the top of your company's compensation plan.

Here are the secrets that you'll need to know and that you'll want to cover with your current downline and future prospects:

Network marketing is neither a job nor a get rich quick pyramid scheme. This may seem like a no-brainer like many of the other secrets I'll be going over, but bare with me and I'll explain the reason why this fact can be so deeply forgotten or misunderstood that the obvious becomes hidden. Understand that most people-even after they've heard your presentation about starting a home-based business-still may not fully understand what huge differences rest between a home-based business and a job. People who enter your organization who are stuck on job-think will have put forth the investment to get started and yet they mistake the independent representative application with a time-sheet for clocking in to work. At many jobs, you clock in and regardless of whether you do anything or not you will still get paid (so long as you're not caught slacking off too much). When a person is running their own business they will make absolutely nothing unless they market their business. Once you grow your residual income and the momentum of your downline, then you can relax...and do it quite comfortably! However, initially it's going to mean working hard...very hard. You've probably noticed the strange phenomenon that almost every single network marketing company has someone somewhere complaining that that particular company is a scam, yet your company probably has outstanding products or services and they probably have oceans of people who are making money and who are excited about being involved. Pyramid schemes are illegal, and if a company is found to be a pyramid scheme it is quickly shutdown by the government. So why do some people seem so unhappy with network marketing? This is the secret that fast food companies, recliner chair manufactures, air conditioning manufacturers and insurance salesman figured out. The average person wants satisfaction right now. The average person will always opt for the most relaxing position in life. The average person doesn't want to sweat and the average person wants to be assured that so long as they keep doing the same thing every month, the money will be there. Unfortunately, if a person has not been properly informed about what it really means to own their own home business, they will likely give up and join the naysayers. To be successful in network marketing a person must be patient as they work each day to build toward their success. They must be willing to step outside of their comfort zone. They must be willing to sweat a little by taking a chance on their own self-determination and they must realize that the size of their network marketing paycheck hinges not upon clocking in, but the courage to face down every rejection while moving with excitement and urgency toward the manifestation of their dreams. Yes, it is hard work. However, the upside to network marketing recruiting is that if you've been trained by a quality company, or upline leader in your opportunity, you'll find that working hard in your network marketing opportunity can be fun and exciting.

Network marketing success hinges upon hard work. A person cannot buy their way to top of a network marketing opportunity, it must be earned. Yes, it is possible to make it to the top of your company's network marketing compensation plan by simply buying every prospect that you talk to a starter kit out of your own pocket and paying for all their customers (which would take a whole lot of money and very little work), but even if a person has that kind of money to waste, they'd find that their downline would collapse. The absolute only way anyone every makes it to the top of a network marketing opportunity and sustains and continues to grow their massive downline is by making a commitment to do network marketing recruiting the right way and by nurturing their downline. Nurturing your downline means being available to help them grow their own organizations. Recruiting the right way means putting your nose to the grindstone; putting your best foot forward to attract and present your opportunity to the right people, and never, ever, ever letting up on your success. If I told you I'd hire you for a job and that it entails working extremely hard almost every day of every month and that your reward will be to that get to work like a dog for many, many more years to come, would you take the job? Most people have agreed to that. Would it scare you if I told you that you're going to have to work extremely hard over the next year to four years in your network marketing opportunity, but your reward will be that you'll be able to walk away from your job, would you stick with your opportunity? If you answered "yes", then lets proceed...because you already possess the characteristics that are at the nucleus of what makes top producers tick (courage and self-determination).

Network marketing recruiting takes a highly-motivated and disciplined personality. This means that a person must have the discipline to monitor their level of motivation and if they ever find themselves falling below optimum levels of excitement, they will immediately do whatever is necessary to change course. That could mean taking the time to watch your company's opportunity videos again and again everyday, so that you'll have a fresh feeling of excitement and be motivated to make it happen. It could mean making a "success collage" created out of pictures of the places you want to go, the kind of house you'd like to live in or the kind of car you'd like to drive. It could mean calling up your upline leaders for some uplifting advice. It could mean consistently listening to motivational speakers, playing their audios at home and in the car or watching their videos on YouTube. To reach your success goals you must be motivated. To be motivated you must be excited to make it happen. Excitement is contagious, and it's the single most powerful ingredient for network marketing recruiting success.

Network marketing is not a pyramid scheme. People at the top of a network marketing organization do not necessarily make lots of money. What? Bare with me because this is another secret that might sound scary to some people but as I explain it you're going to begin to understand exactly why you should be excited about this simple fact. Here's how it works: If Alfred recruits Bob and Bob recruits Cassandra, we can imagine them in a straight line from top to bottom (A, B, C) with Alfred standing at the top of the organization, Bob standing on the level below him, and Cassandra last. Alfred goes wild, puts his nose to the grindstone and makes things happen. Cassandra is off the charts with her network marketing recruiting efforts; she's always excited to talk to people about her opportunity and ends up building a massive organization. If we'd look back at Alfred, whose standing at the top, we'd see a massive organization below him due to his own efforts and multiplied by Cassandra's diligence and hard work...but what about Bob? Bob only recruited Cassandra, he decided he'd stay involved because he loved the products and services, but he didn't get promoted to any kind of prestigious title in the opportunity's compensation plan. Why? Because network marketing isn't a pyramid scheme and it isn't a job. In a true network marketing company you can have someone above you who makes less money than you do. The percentages and bonuses you earn in a true network marketing opportunity are based upon your earned position. The keyword here is "earned". If a person does not acquire the customers or independent representatives that they need to quality for their opportunity's higher earned position they'll earn a bit more money from the efforts of someone like Cassandra, but it will be pennies compared to what Cassandra earns herself. Yes, Bob is at the top of the huge organization but it's Alfred and Cassandra who are making the real money, and rightfully so. In a conventional business, whether large or small, a person's job position in the corporate pyramid linearly dictates how much money they make. In almost every case, in a corporation, the people at the top make the big bucks and the people at the bottom make much, much, much less. Network marketing rewards the people who are hungry for success regardless of where they are located in the organization's structure. Think about that.

You have to talk to people. This one also seems completely obvious and because of that I never saw it as something I had to point out in my early days of network marketing. Due to leaving this out, many people in my downline would complain that they weren't making any money. I couldn't understand what was happening, but now I can share this with you: To be successful in network marketing you have to be willing to talk to people and share your opportunity in as many different ways as you can possibly think of. Have you put the link to your opportunity website in your email signature? Have you sent a short, gentle but excited announcement to every person you can think of, informing them that your home business is open for business? Have you made a YouTube video proudly and excitedly talking about all the neat stuff about your opportunity's products or services? Do you have the courage to give a brochure or a DVD to a complete stranger? Make a commitment right now to inform your downline that to be successful in their own home-based business they must let as many people as possible know that they're in business. Reveal to people that the secret to making money in network marketing is talking, and those who keep on talking are the ones who make it to the top.

The average person will not get rich with network marketing. This fact sounds pretty depressing when you first read it, but let me ask you: Do you consider yourself an average person? I can already answer that question. No, you are not an average person because if you were, you wouldn't be reading this. An above average person is willing to take the time to invest in themselves and you've invested in yourself by seeking out knowledge that you can use to propel your business forward. Read this network marketing recruiting secret again and realize that it doesn't have anything to do with whether or not you are going to be hugely successful in network marketing. You must refuse to be average. You must refuse to back down or give up. The average person is not self-motivated or excited about putting in hard work even if it means literally changing the future history of their family tree. Therefore, yes, it is an absolute fact that the average person in network marketing will only make a little money or no money at all. The average person doesn't have anything to do with you or what you are capable of. You have made it this far. I have gut-checked you over and over, and you've made it this far. Are you going to give up or are you going to take the bull by the horns and prove that I am right when I say that you are not just another average person, but an above average success story in the making?

You must not be afraid to sell. A person must have no fear of the word "salesman" and no dread of the concept of "selling". There are life-saving devices in hospitals because a salesman had the courage to stand by his product. If you know someone whose life was saved by a defibrillator, thank the doctor, nurse or paramedic...and don't forget the salesman who sold their hospital the unit. If someone asks, "Are you trying to sell me something," respond with excitement, "You bet I am...and you absolutely have to take a look at this!" Salesman are the highest paid people in the world. Why anyone would not want to be a salesman beats me. However, in network marketing you are selling your products or services but you are marketing your business opportunity. Successful network marketing recruiting means knowing the difference between these two areas of your business.

Successful network marketing recruiting doesn't mean chasing people. Now that we've moved beyond the word "salesman" we can get to the pinnacle of network marketing recruiting secrets. In terms of getting people to sign up for an opportunity, a person must understand that successful network marketers do not sell people on an opportunity. You sell people products or services and selling them on a product or service means that you might need to convince them that it is superior to the competition or that it is otherwise something that will enrich their lives. Successful network marketers do not sell people network marketing opportunities, they market them. Marketing means inviting and inviting means we're giving out invitations. An invitation, although it can certainly be an open invitation, typically means that a person has been assessed and selected to participate in an event or organization. I have absolutely no interest in chasing anybody to do anything. I will invite them. I will market my opportunity by letting as many people as possible know that the opportunity is here; that it exists, but it's up to them to accept or reject the invitation. To be successful in network marketing a person must grow an awareness of the existence of their opportunity and let people make up their own minds. Almost everyone I had to convince to make an investment in themselves didn't make any money no matter how much I tried to help them. I found myself not wanting to help them because they were so negative and required too much of my energy to motivate. On the other hand, those who are invited to watch a DVD, invited to listen to a business opportunity briefing or invited to click on a link, and who decide to get involved, are the people you will want to help make it to the top with you...and they are the ones who are going to help you get it to the top!

I've given you the knowledge that I wish I had years ago. Now it's up to you to dig down deep within yourself and find the courage to make it happen.

I wish you health, happiness and success!

The network is and why it is important in business?

2010-10-10T15:57:00.000+07:00

When I began my networking journey, I attended any and all networking events as time permitted. Every event was fair game! Today I am much more strategic in my networking endeavors. I discovered which events and organizations gave me the best return on my investment of time as well as how to be an effective, caring networker.

In order to know where to begin you must first understand what networking is and why it is important to grow your business. Networking in its purest form is simply talking to people, making connections and developing rapport to grow our circle of influence. Business networking is essentially the same except that our primary objective in business networking is to help us grow our businesses. For most of us, building a network means meeting people we can do business with or who will do business with us, or refer people who will do business with us, are our ultimate goals.

In fact, some of the best networks are those created by people who own and run their own businesses. When you create valuable networking relationships, you build them on a foundation of mutual trust, sharing knowledge, experiences and resources to help one another grow your businesses by either referring one another or doing business directly with one another.

It works like this: If you do a good job, one customer might tell three to five of her colleagues, family and friends about you. Whereas, when you build a network of say 10 to 20 strong advocates, they may each tell only one person about your, however your "exposure" is now more than doubled - With the right network, the ultimate in "word of mouth" marketing takes place. You promote your network, and your network promotes you.

Have you ever attended a BNI or Le Tip or other form of structured networking groups? Perhaps you are already a member of a similar group. If not, you might consider becoming involved in one to the fastest growing business networking concepts around. These groups invite business professionals to join on an exclusive basis. That means, that if you are a chiropractor and become a member of one of these groups, no other chiropractor will be invited or allowed to join.

These groups have regularly scheduled meetings (anywhere from monthly to weekly) with a list of rules and objectives to which you must abide. In some cases, a minimum number of referrals is required to participate. In others, simply doing business with one or more in the network is all that is asked of he members. However, keep in mind that for this type of networking to be worthwhile for all parties, each must make every effort to do business with other members of the group.

If this form of structured networking isn't for you, there are other options for finding potential networking venues and partners. Here are some ideas to help you on your way to networking success.

a. Develop a joiners mentality. By that I mean, don't just sign up to get our name on a roster. REALLY JOIN. Get involved. Participate in discussions, events and BE VISIBLE. The saying "out of sight, is out of mind," holds true when it comes to networking. I have been involved in groups and decided to take a hiatus from attending for 2 to 3 months (and sometimes more) only to have people come up to me and tell me they forgot the name of my business so they had to find someone else either through a friend or through the local phone book. BUMMER!

b. Attend networking functions. These can include Chambers of Commerce meetings, after hours socials, ad hoc committees and special events task forces.

c. Get involved in a community service group such as Kiwanis, Lions, Jaycees, etc.

d. Volunteer with a non-profit organization, whose mission you are passionate about and believe in. People who have similar passions will want to do business with you.

e. Host events - I started an event called Goddess Gatherings more than 2 years ago in my home. It is an intimate gathering of women (8 max.) who share a common interest and/or wish to expand their own circles. I invite women who do not yet know one another although they may be familiar with their names. These women are women in my circle of influence either directly or indirectly (they are either members of the 22 groups I belong to and attend regularly or they are part of a circle within these groups). I might invite a "surprise" guest who can entertain the women - such as a masseuse or tarot card reader- or feature a business such as a jeweler or make-up artist. This helps make for a memorable evening and the women either start their own Gathering or look forward to being invited to another gathering hosted by either myself of one of the women in attendance.

f. Look for ways to cross-promote with businesses that complement yours. For instance, a spa might join with a health food store or restaurant and promote their products and services for staying healthy. A salon might join a florist to promote weddings or proms and a realtor might join with a mortgage broker to promote a "one-stop" experience for home buyers.

g. Interview others. A great way for me to network is to interview women for projects I am working on. Since most people are flattered when you ask their opinion about something or experiences in life, this has been a great means of increasing my own circle for various reasons. I might interview a woman (or even a man) about an article or book I am writing, or a seminar I am developing. People love to share their stories. I tape the interview (with their permission, of course) and give them a copy afterwards. It helps to have a list of questions ready prior to the interview, however, unless they insist, I don't give them the questions ahead of time. I have done these interviews via phone, email as well as in person. Many of the women have since.

h. Join an online business or social networking community such as MeetUp, Ryze, Max-in-Common, Linkd In, Open BC, to name a few,. These groups have subgroups made up of people with a specific focus and similar interests. Or you can join a non-specific group to gain more knowledge, exposure and contacts.

Make a point of attending one new networking event a month just to "check it out." Make a list of the people you know, the organizations you have heard and read about and the companies who currently do business with you. These are all great resources to tap into to find new venues to network. Get the local newspaper and look at the organizations and businesses hosting events to which the public is invited. Attend them.

The best networking begins with planning and taking action. Being strategic in your planning is important to your ultimate success as an effective, caring networker.

If you are interested in sharing your networking success stories, drop me a note to heidi@speakingwithspirit.com. It would be an honor to interview you. Who knows, your story could be the subject of one of my articles, or you could even write your own.. Looking forward to hearing from you. Here's to your success in building your network.

LAN Design and model a hierarchical network

2010-10-10T08:07:00.000+07:00

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CCNA focuses on networks for SMBs (small, medium businesses).

A hierarchical design model is recommended.

Easier to manage and expand.

Problems are solved more quickly.

Hierarchical design divides the network into 3 layers.

Core, (CL).

Distribrution, (DL).

Access, (AL).

Each layer provides specific functions.

This "modularity" facilitates scalability and performance.

Access Layer, (AL): lowest

Interfaces with the end device (user).

Includes routers, switches, bridges, hubs and wireless APs.

Provides a means of connecting devices to the network and controlling which one communicate on the network.

Distribution Layer, (DL):

Aggregates data received from the AL before transmitting to the CL for routing.

Controls traffic flow using policies and delineates broadcast domains with VLANs defined at the AL.

VLANs allow traffic segmentation (separate subnetworks).

DL switches are typically high-performance devices that have high availability and redundancy to ensure reliability.

Core Layer, (CL):

The high-speed backbone or the internetwork.

Critical for interconnectivity between distribution layer devices ? needs to be highly available and redundant.

Often connects to Internet resources.

Aggregates tfc fm all devices, so it must be capable of forwarding large amounts of data quickly.

Note: smaller networks often combine the distribution and core layers.

Three Logical Laye3rs are separated into a well-defined hierarchy.

It is much harder to see these layers physically.

Benefits of a Hierarchical Network:

Scalability:

Hierarchical networks scale very well.

The modularity allows you to replicate design elements.

Expansion is easy to plan and implement.

Redundancy:

As a network grows, availability becomes more important.

Availability increases dramatically with hierarchical networks.

E.G. AL switches connect to 2 DL switches. If one DL switch fails, the AL switch can switch to the other one.

Redundancy is limited is at the access layer. Typically, end devices do not connect to multiple switches.

Performance:

Properly designed networks can achieve near wire speed btwn all devices.

Security:

AL switches can be configured to provide control over which devices are allowed to connect to the network.

More advanced security policies available at the DL.

Some AL switches support L3 functionality, but it is usually the job of the DL switches, because they can process it much more efficiently.

Manageability:

Changes can be repeated across all devices in a layer because they presumably perform the same functions.

Deployment of new switches is simplified because configs can be copied with few modifications.

Consistency within each layer simplifies troubleshooting.

Maintainability:

Because of their modularity and scalability, hierarchical networks are easy to maintain.

This also means these networks are less expensive.

With other designs, manageability becomes increasingly complicated as the network grows.

Principles of Hierarchical Network Design:

Hierarchical design is no guarantee of good design.

Simple guidelines help differentiate btwn well-designed and poorly designed hierarchical networks.

Network Diameter:

Usually the first thing to consider.

The # of devices a packet crosses to reach its destination.

Small diameter ensures low and predictable latency.

Bandwidth Aggregation, (adding together):

Combines links btwn switches to achieve up throughput.

Cisco has a proprietary link aggregation technology called EtherChannel.

Aggregated links are indicated by multiple dotted lines with an oval or a single, dotted line with an oval.

Can be used at every layer (less common @ AL).

Redundancy:

Redundancy can be provided in a number of ways.

E.G. 2x connections btwn devices, or 2x devices.

Redundant links can be expensive.

Designing redundancy starts at the AL. You ensure that you accommodate all network devices ? 3 of AL switches.

This helps determine 3 of DL switches ? CL switches.

What is a Converged network?

SMBs are increasingly running voice, video and data.

Convergence is the process of combining these.

Until recently this was limited to large enterprises.

Legacy (older) equipment hinders convergence.

Because analog phones have not yet been replaced, you will also see legacy PBX telephone and IP-based systems.

Convergence is now easier and less expensive.

With a convergence there is just one network to manage.

This costs less to implement and manage.

IT cabling requirements are simplified.

Convergence also creates new opportunities.

You can tie voice and video directly into an employee's PC.

No need for an expensive phone or video equipment.

Softphones (Cisco IP |Communicator) offer a lot of flexibility.

With software businesses can quickly convert to converged networks with little capital expense.

With cheap webcams videoconferencing can be added.

Separate Voice, Video and Data Networks:

Voice networks contain isolated phone lines running to a PBX (Private BDXT Exchange) switch located in a Telco wiring closet PSTN (Public Switch Telephone Network).

Telco closet often separate fm the data and video closets.

New phone ? a new line to the PBX.

Using a properly designed hierarchical network voice lines can be added with little or no impact.

Now that networks can accommodate the BW it makes sense to converge.

Considerations for Hierarchical Network Switches:

Tfc Flow Analysis:

The process of measuring BW usage and analyzing it for performance tuning, planning, and HW improvement.

To select the appropriate gear in a hierarchical network, you need to spec out tfc flows, users and servers.

Networks must be designed with an eye on growth.

Done using tfc flow analysis software.

Should consider port densities and forwarding rates to ensure adequate growth capability.

Analysis Tools:

Many tfc flow analysis tools are available.

E.G. Solarwinds Orion 8.1 NetFlow Analysis.

User Communities Analysis:

Identifies user grpings and their impact on net performance.

Affects port density and tfc flow, which influences the selection of network switches.

Typically users are grped according to job function.

E.G. HR one floor and Finance on another.

Each dept. has different users and needs, and requires access to different resources through the network.

Choose switches that have enough ports to meet the dept needs and pwrful enough to accommodate tfc.

Good network design also factors in the growth.

Investigate the tfc generated by end-user applications.

Some user communities generate a lot, some do not.

The location of the user communities influences where data stores and server farms are located.

By locating users close to their servers, you can reduce network diameter, reducing the impact on other users.

However, usage is not always bound by department or physical location.

Data Stores and Data Servers Analysis:

Data stores can be servers, SANs, NAS, tape bu units, or any other storage device or component.

Considers both client-server and server-server tfc.

Client-server tfc typically traverses multiple switches.

BW aggregation and switch forwarding rates can help eliminate bottlenecks for this type of tfc.

Some server apps generate high volumes btwn servers.

These server shouls be located close to each other (i.e. secured data centers).

Tfc across data center switches is typically very high.

Requires higher performing switches.

Topology Diagrams:

A graphical representation of a network infrastructure.

Shows how all switches are interconnected, including which ports interconnect devices.

It shows where and how many switches are in use.

Can also contain info on device densities and user grps.

Helps visually identify potential bottlenecks.

Very difficult to create after the fact.

Switch Features:

Switch Form Factors:

Fixed or modular config, and stackable or non-stackable.

Thickness is expressed in rack units. (i.e. 1U, 3U).

Fixed Config Switches - Cannot add hardware.

Modular Switches - chassis allows for multiple line cards which contain the ports.

The larger the chassis, the more modules it can support.

Stackable Switches:

Can be interconnected using a special backplane cable that provides high-bandwidth throughput btwn the switches.

Cisco's StackWise technology allows you to interconnect up to nine switches using fully redundant backplane connections.

Stacked switches effectively operate as a single larger switch.

Desirable where fault tolerance and BW availability are critical and a modular switch is too costly.

Performance:

Port Density:

Port density is the 3 of ports available per switch.

Fixed sitches typically 1,000 ports!

Large enterprise networks require high density, modular switches to make the best use of space and pwr.

Also prevent uplink bottlenecks.

A series of fixed swtches consume many additional ports for BW aggregation btwn switches.

Whith a modular switch, aggregation is less of an issue because the chassis backplane provides the BW.

Forwarding Rates:

The processing capabilities of a switch in bps.

Switch product lines are classified by forwarding rates.

If this rate is too low, it cannot accommodate wire-speed across all ports.

Wire speed = rate that each port is capable of (10Mbps etc).

E.G. 48-port GbE switch at wire speed = 48Gbps of tfc.

If the switch only supports 32 Gbps (internally), it cannot run at full wire speed across all posrts simultaneously.

Access switches typically do not need full wire speed because they are physically limited by their uplinks to the DL.

Link Aggregation:

Determine if there are enough ports to aggregate to support the required BW.

E.G. GbE 24-port switch could generate up to 24 Gbps.

If it is connected to the network by a single cable, it can only forward 1 Gbps to the rest of the network.

That results in 1/24th wire speed for each of the 24 devices.

Link aggregation helps to reduce these bottlenecks by allowing up to 8 ports to be grped, providing up to 8 Gbps.

With multiple 10GbE uplinks very high throughput rates can be achieved.

Cisco uses the term EtherChannel = aggregated ports.

Power over Ethernet (PoE):

PoE allows a switch to deliver power over existing Ethernet.

Can be used by IP phones and some wireless APs.

Allows more flexibility for equipment installations.

Adds considerable cost to the switch.

PoE switch marked with a `V`for volts.

Layer 3 Functions:

Typically, switches operate at L2 and deal primarily with MAC addresses.

L3 switches offer advanced functionality.

L3 switches = multilayer switches.

Switch features in a Hierarchical Network:

Access Layer switch Features:

Port security - first line of defense for a network.

How many or what devices are allowed to connect.

All Cisco switches support port layer security.

VLANs - component of converged networks.

Voice tfc is typically given a separate VLAN.

Port speed:

Fast Ethernet is adequate for VoIP and most data tfc.

PoE - much more expensive, so use only when required.

Link Aggregation - supported at all 3 lvls.

QoS - needed for VoIP.

Distribution Layer Switch features:

Collect all AL switch data and forward it to the CL switches.

Provides the inter-VLAN routing functions.

DL switches have higher processing capabilities than AL.

Need L3 to support inter-VLAN routing.

Security Policies:

Need L3 so advanced security policies can be applied.

ACLs control tfc flows through a network.

ACLs allow switches to filter tfc.

ACLs are CPU-intensive because they need to inspect every packet and match ACL rules.

Placing ACLs at the DL also reduces the 3 of switches that require the extra mgmt configuration.

Policy-based connectivity and departmentaléworkgroup access to the core layer.

Quality of Service:

DL switches need to maintain the priorities of tfc coming fm the AL switches that have implemented QoS.

If not all the devices support QoS, the benefits will be reduced -. poor performance and quality.

DL switches are under high demand.

They need redundancy for adequate availability.

DL switches are typically implemented in pairs.

Recommended that they support multiple, hot swappable pwr supplies.

Finally, they need to support link aggregation and high-bandwidth aggregated links back to the core.

Core Layer Switch Features:

The CL is the high-speed backbone.

The forwarding rate is dependent on the number of devices participating in the network.

If you choose an inadequate switch at the core, you face potential bottleneck issues slowing down all tfc.

CL switches should support aggregated 10GbE.

L3 redundancy has faster convergence than L2, so, ensure CL switches support L3 functions.

CL switches should support FULL redundancy features.

QoS is important at the core since high-speed WAN access is often prohibitivel expensive.

Switches for SMBs:

Identify the Cisco switches used in SMB applications.

The features of Cisco Catalyst Switches:

You cannot simply select a switch by the size of a business.

Businesses are often cross integrated with other entities.

A 6500 makes sense as an AL switch where there are hundreds of users in an area, such as a stock exchange.

Cat Express 500 - forwarding rates = 8.8 - 24 Gbps.

Cat 2960 - L3, QoS, no PoE, 16 - 32 Gbps.

Cat 3560 - enterprise-class PoE, QoS, 32 - 128 Gbps.

Cat 3750 - stackable high performance.

Cat 4500 - DL midrange modular - up to 136 Gbps.

Cat 4900 - data center.

Cat 6500 - DL and CL - up to 720 Gbps.

Miscellaneous:

MDF - Main Distribution Facility.

Gi 0é1 - abbreviation for Gigabit Ethernet ports.

Spanning Tree - protocols allows redundant paths, but shuts down some links to avoid switching loops.

Why is it so important to online documentation

2010-10-10T00:50:00.000+07:00

Undocumented Networks

------------

I can't tell you how many projects I've worked on in which

the customer has little to no network documentation. The

reason for the lack of network documentation is varied. In

many cases this is both the fault of the customer and the

vendor / consultant who designed and implemented the

network. The vendor just does not do it and the customer

does not press hard enough for it. In some cases, technology

consultants do not feel it's important enough or want to

lock the customer into having to call "them" if something

goes wrong or a configuration needs to be changed.

Not only is this poor practice on the side of the

consultant, it can have a dramatic affect on the future

growth of the customer, increase the costs of future network

upgrades and diagnostics, and can negatively impact the

security of the customers network.

The Results Of A Undocumented Network

------------

Before I tell you the basic items that need to be documented

with regards to computer networks, I first want to give you

examples of what I have "not" seen documented, and what

problems this has caused.

During one of my past projects, which was primarily to

implement a new firewall and to secure many of the internal

systems , I ran into some really incredible issues. None of

the primary server systems were documented. No one knew what

server did what, how much memory, disk space, what type of

processor(s), and in some cases, did not know what Operating

System was installed. And worse than that, during my initial

review, we located three servers in a closet, on a different

floor, that no one even knew existed!

Because of the lack of network documentation, no one knew

what was suppose to be done to maintain their enterprise

Anti-Virus system. When I finally determined what the admin

password was to login to the Anti-Virus services, I found

that virus signatures had not been updated in over six

months. Then we found that the system was not even

functioning and nearly 90% of systems on the network were

infected with virus and worms (and not the annoying kind

either, the destructive kind)

We also found there were four different tape backup servers,

and again, because of the lack of network documentation,

none of them had been maintained. The customer just kept

changing tapes. And do you know what, none of the backup

jobs had been running for months. Talk about a false sense

of security!

The very last thing I want to talk about is how lack of

network documentation and procedures can affect network

security. In one case, a customer had a rather expensive

Check Point Firewall in place. No documentation was

available and the customer had been told that nothing needed

to be done to maintain the Firewall. The customer told me

that recently, their Internet access had become very

sluggish. It took two days to locate the Check Point console

password. When I logged in I found that the C: drive had

absolutely no free disk space because the Firewall log had

consumed it all. This could have been avoided if the

Firewall was setup properly in the first place. The Firewall

was also about 4 Service Packs behind, and the rules in

place were quite inadequate. Not to mention that none of the

rules themselves had been documented. And one more thing to

think about. If this network had been attacked and

compromised, how quickly would we have been able to respond

to the attack if so much of the network was undocumented? It

would have been a disaster.

Basic Network Documentation

------------

Here is a basic set of items that should be contained in

network documentation:

All server hardware and operating systems should be

documented, including the physical locations and what

primary, secondary, etc.. purpose they serve. All key

service accounts an login account user-id and password's

should be documented and stored in a safe location, maybe a

company lockbox or vault, or use something like KeyPass to

store them. A visual diagram of the network layout, even

from a high level, should exist no matter how small or large

the network is. Products like WhatsUpGold can assist with

this or you can create a Visio diagram of the network.

Procedures on how to maintain the network technology,

including Operating Systems, security related services,

backup and disaster recovery (business continuity), and

firewall technologies should exist.

Additionally, you should

document and secure all Operating System and application

licensing. This is something that is very often overlooked

and is imperative if you have to recover from a disaster

situation in which the rebuild of systems is necessary.

Other information to have documented is key contact

information. For instance, who do you call if your Internet

connection goes down? Who do you contact if your offsite web

services are not functioning? Do you have a third party that

maintains your Domain Name Services (DNS)? If you have

custom applications, do you know exactly who you must call

if there is a problem?

The above is just the basic items that need to be documented

within a computer network. There are many more aspects to

network documentation.

Who Needs To Document Their Network

------------

In a nutshell, anyone who has a computer network, home

office, small office, or large office, should have an

adequate level of network documentation and procedures to

follow in order to maintain the network. If you have

invested in network technology, don't you want to keep your

investment safe, sound, and performing at it's peak?

Conclusion

------------

If you are a customer, and have a systems integrator or

consultant working on a new network implementation or

upgrading an existing one, demand that they provide you with

complete network documentation. Even if it costs you extra

you should request it. It will save you a lot of time and

money in the future. And, it may actually keep your business

from experiencing long periods of down time.

You may reprint or publish this article free of charge as long as the bylines are included.

Six obstacles and their solutions

2010-10-09T17:34:00.000+07:00

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Networking is like so many things in our lives - exercise, eating more fiber and less fat, quitting cigarettes, saving money, writing goals - that we know are not only good for us, but are the keys to success. We know because we've occasionally done them enough to see and feel results, but we didn't keep up with it. Or we've seen our friends doing these things and enjoying great health. Or we've seen the news articles about the studies that prove these things are beneficial. We've even read the books by the experts and celebrities who clearly spell out these actions and habits as the reason for their wealth, health, and happiness.

We know all this, and we know that networking is a vital business development activity and an important life skill, so why don't we do it? Because there are obstacles in the way of our success, some obvious and some so subtle that we don't know they are there. Of the six major OBSTACLES to networking, nearly all of them are created inside our own minds. Therefore, it is simple (but perhaps not easy) to change our thinking and to remove them.

The six reasons why we don't network are:

? Misconceptions

? Dislike

? Having no Purpose

? Not Knowing How

? No time

? Shyness

Misconceptions

Are you holding onto false beliefs about networking that are mostly negative? You think it's just schmoozing, or that it's all about selling, or it's only for outgoing people? Did you try it once and when you didn't get results, or didn't feel comfortable, you decided it wasn't for you?

The basis of any of these fallacies is that you believe it doesn't work or that it won't work for you. This error in thinking that is very easy to disprove. Simply look at the millions of business people who are successful because of the relationships they built through networking. Read books by Dale Carnegie, Harvey Mackay, Andrea Nierenberg, and Keith Ferazzi to be convinced of the value and the principles of networking.

Dislike

Do you dislike networking because you don't feel like selling or being sold to? Do you avoid it because of other people and their poor networking skills? Have you had negative experiences that caused you to have misconceptions about networking?

If you avoid networking because you don't like the way other people do it, you need to radically shift your thinking from annoyance and dislike of these people, to compassion and seeing an opportunity to help them change bad habits. And just like daily life outside of networking, we need to simply deal with those few who don't have good skills and keep searching for the right people to build relationships with. If you've had negative experiences with networking, you need to research your organizations much more thoroughly. We don't eat raw food for the rest of our life because we burned our hand on the stove once. Avoiding networking because of other people is cutting our noses off to spite our faces.

Having No Purpose

Do you see networking as an endless series of pointless cocktail parties full of vapid conversations? Is your contact database not growing or even shrinking as people move away? Do you only network when it's time to change jobs or when business is slow?

If you do not have a strategy and a long-term outlook, you will network based on short-term need, such as losing a job. This can be very unsatisfying because desperation is unattractive. Experienced networkers will avoid your "help me now and I'll forget you later" approach. Harvey Mackay calls it "digging your well before you are thirsty." Your purpose in networking is to build a vibrant, growing, and responsive assortment of relationships you can count on, and who can count on you. The development of mutually beneficial relationships will make every conversation important and purposeful, there will be no more pointless chitchat. Instead, you'll see each time you make contact or converse with someone as another vital but small contribution to the networking structure we are building

Not Knowing How

Do you feel okay with meeting people, but wonder what to do next? Or you are building your contacts, but don't see results from it. Are you unsure what kind of conversation is appropriate if you're not going to sell?

If you lack technique or are unsure how to take networking from the early stages of meeting someone to a deeper relationship that is going to create value for both parties, then you may create in your own mind the perception that networking doesn't work. Or that it's okay for other people who don't have money for advertising, but that it's not necessary for you.

Networking begins with basic social skills such as having conversations that are other-centered. We may feel comfortable in purely social settings like soccer games or birthday parties where we can talk about our children or the happy occasion, but we believe that business networking occasions should be all business. Remember that businesses are run by people, and those people have families, interests, and personal needs. Getting to know someone first is not only perfectly acceptable in the business world, but is the basis of building mutually beneficial relationships.

Once you're comfortable with learning about people for themselves and not as a prospect or sales target, the next step in knowing how to advance the relationship. The most effective and easy way to do this is to give first. Send them information, an invitation or even a referral for business. They will gladly work with you in return.

We sometimes think that we should automatically know how to network just by virtue of being in business, but this is the one topic where there is a gaping hole in our education and training. Financial planning companies are notorious for bringing in their new associates, giving them detailed FINANCIAL training, no networking training, and then sending them out to network one of the most difficult industries there is. The range of skills that are needed in networking include conversation skills, the ability to perceive and fill other people's needs, organization, and a clear process for creating a return on the investment of time. This range of techniques requires study and application, like any complex skill.

No Time to Network

Are you ready to network, but you find you just don't have the time? Do you pencil in networking events, but then have too much work to do and can't leave the office?

There are only two reasons you don't have the time to network. Your life may truly be so complicated with jobs, second jobs, childcare, or elder care that you literally work 16-hour days every single day of the week. But, if you watch one single hour of mindless television a day, you are just making excuses to not network. You don't lack the time; you just don't want to make the time.

Any busy person who discovered a new passion or a fun new hobby has found that it is possible to find the time when you strongly want to do something. Suddenly, your schedule opens up, you find new efficiencies, or you are able to reprioritize. If you're not able to do that with networking, revisit your beliefs and your purpose. The time will almost magically appear if you are clearly focused on the value of networking.

There are also ways to be much more efficient and effective with the time you spend networking. Instead of very general events with a random group of people, take time to research exactly whom you need to add to your network and target your networking time accordingly. A leads group is also a time-efficient way to network because it is focused on giving and receiving referrals. You may even want to create your own networking events and activities. This would be a larger investment of time, but the return is much greater when you are the organizer and host.

If you have a short-term perspective, you will feel that the time invested isn't paying off. If you think you're wasting time, you won't spend it. But if it is a long-term project that will compound, it is much easier to find the time to invest. We so often have to deal with the urgent tasks that aren't important, instead of networking, which is not urgent but very important.

Shyness

Do you feel like you can't be a good networking because you are an introvert? Or do feelings of shyness hold you back from networking? A majority of people in the population report feeling some shyness at different times. These feelings contribute to the misconception that only outgoing people are good at networking. Having no clear purpose and needing to work on our social skills can compound feelings of shyness, which are basically a lack of self-confidence. Preparation and planning can create confidence, which causes us to be successful which make us more confident.

There are also networking events that are better suited for a more introverted person. Large, non-agenda mixer meetings can be difficult for anyone if you are unfamiliar with the group. Use the buddy system and focus on smaller, more personal events to build your confidence.

Conclusion

Think carefully about your excuses for avoiding networking in relation to these six common obstacles. Nearly every one of them is founded in the way we think. Once we've removed these obstacles that come between ourselves and our goal of effective networking, our success is assured. Apply diligence to make sure you're not allowing bad thinking habits and doubt to creep back in. From now on, it's simply a matter of time and consistent effort.

Network of paralysis-six reasons we are unable to your network

2010-10-09T09:55:00.000+07:00

Are You Paralyzed By the Idea of Networking?

From the people that I talk to; you would think that networking ranks right up there with the other major fears in life: things like public speaking and death. When I talk to friends about networking it is as if I have offended them. They are so put off by the idea that they appear insulted.

Is That You? Ask Yourself These Questions

Are you put off by the idea of networking?
Does the idea of networking paralyze you?
Are you convinced that you are inept or incapable of networking and therefore you can not or will not network.
Are you afraid to talk to new people?
Are you afraid that you will not know what to say or how to start?
Does it scare you that you may get into a conversation that you do not want?
I used to suffer from many of those same fears and, at times, I still do. You know what; those are all legitimate fears - albeit unnecessary.

Networking Paralysis

Here are some of the reasons I believe people become paralyzed when it comes to networking.

Fear of rejection.
Desperate to network.
Failure to follow through.
Poor networking technique.
Thinking that networking is only about asking for something.
Failure to launch.

Fear of Rejection

Many people are adverse to networking simply because they are afraid that when they approach someone to network; they will be turned down.

Many people feel that a synonym for rejection is failure and that is not the case. The reality is that some of the people that you want for connections will turn you down. That, however, is not a failure on your part. We cannot let rejections get us down; because there is always someone else just around the corner to be a connection.

Desperate to network

Many people wait until they need their network before they start building the network and as a result they scare off those with whom they want to network. There is a belief that the only reason people network is to sell themselves or some product. Although much selling occurs, the reality is that networking is the process of getting to know someone and to learn about that person and their business. If through those conversations it is learned that you or a product you have will solve a problem for your new friend let the selling begin. The thing you do not want to do is lead with the sales pitch. Nothing will turn off your prospective networking partner more than that.

Ideally you should be building your network all the time; so you are not and do not have the appearance of being desperate. As you meet people you should be adding them to your network and as you add them lead with the question "What can I do for you?". Networking is first and foremost about giving.

Failure to Follow Through

The failure to follow through is one of the saddest reasons for networking paralysis. Someone provides you with a lead and it just sits there; never acted upon. When you receive a lead you should get on it and make the contact. You should report back to the person that provided the contact and tell them how appreciative you are that they thought of you. You should also keep them apprised of the development of that lead.

Opportunities often come knocking in the form of a lead and we cannot afford to let them wither and die without taking any action. When the reference comes, be prepared and follow through.

Poor Networking Technique

Striking up a conversation with a new networking contact can be a difficult process if you do not know what you are doing. You must have ice breakers that go beyond the traditional "Nice Weather We Are Having". To effectively network you must be able to engage the person in meaningful conversation. Starting with something to the effect of "How do you know the event organizer?" or "What enticed you to come to this event?" Have follow up questions ready to keep the conversation flowing. People like to talk about themselves and they will if you give them the chance.

Thinking That Networking Is Only About Asking for Something

Maybe being asked for something is your past experience or you are so focused on your situation that all you can do is ask is the problem. The reality is that networking is much more than asking for something. It is more about asking what you can do for the other person. How can you help? What do they need? Networking is a two way process and effective networkers realize that. They are out there looking for opportunities to teach and share. They realize that at a time in the future this willingness to give of themselves will come back in rich rewards.

You cannot go into networking simply looking and expecting to receive. It just does not work that way and your initial success will be washed away.

Failure To Launch

Many networking careers never see the light of day because of this fear. This is the networker that is always looking for that one last piece of the puzzle. That last little cog in the wheel. There will always be opportunity to improve on your networking capabilities, but the reality is that until you get out there and try you will never know what it is that you must work on. The failure to launch costs millions of lucrative careers and business opportunities every year. When you get the good idea; you must go with it and start the process moving. There will always be time for refining and perfecting.

The Need To Build Your Network

Expanding your network adds value to both you, the individual, and the rest of your network. Each new connection is an expansion in your sphere of influence and their sphere of influence, it is also an expansion in the sphere of influence for your connections. Your network has tremendous value to the others in your network and that value increases with each new connection.

I talk to successful business people and ask about what led to their success and what role networking played in the process and the answers literally stun me. They will tell me that they are not a networker and that they never have been. Then I will hear the story about how they came to be in their current position and guess what? Even though they were not a networker and even though they were not seeking the role than occupy; someone found them!

Whether they were actively networking or not; their networks are working on their behalf. Why is that? How could a network be working on behalf of someone that has not announced their active interest in looking for a new opportunity?

I am an advocate for networking and I can talk at length about the importance of networking and what networks can do for you and your career. I was not always like that. Making new friends and reaching out to strangers was difficult for me and at times it is still difficult. I can say that I am getting better and each time it becomes a little easier. For some networking comes naturally and for others it is right up there with speaking in front of a large group and death.

Network Security 101

2010-10-09T02:18:00.000+07:00

As more people are accessing the Internet every day, Network security becomes a larger issue. In the United States, identity theft and computer fraud are among the fastest growing crimes. It is important to protect your network and ensure the security of all computers and users in network.

What is the network?

To fully understand network security, one must first understand what exactly the network. Network represents a group of computers that are connected. Computers can be connected in different ways. Some of these methods fall into a USB port, telephone lines, connection via Ethernet or wireless connection. Internet network network sec.Your Internet service provider (ISP) also constitutes a network.When a computer connects to the Internet, he joined his network which connects with a host of other network s connected to the even more network s and so on all these network s cover Internet. huge amount of computers on the Internet and the number of providers and the General network s makes network security.

Total network security breeches

Hackers often attempt to break into vulnerable network, s. hackers use a variety of attacks to cripple the network. Do you have a home network or network, it is important to know how hackers will attack in network.

One common way for a hacker to wreak havoc — access to things that ordinary users should not have access to in any network, administrators are able to make some part network "unauthorized access". If a hacker can gain access to a protected area in network, he or she can affect all computers in the network. Some hackers are trying to break into a network s and release the viruses that affect all computers in the network.Some hackers as you can see the information that they should not see.

Destructive attacks

There are two main categories for destructive attacks network.Data Diddling is the first attack she usually not obvious that something is wrong with your computer, where he was allegedly diddler. data changes usually Diddlers rooms or multiple files, and the damage is much later.After tracing the problem can be really hard to trust any of your previous data because the culprit can potentially confusing to a lot of different instruments.

The second type of wipe is complete removal.Some hackers will just break into your computer and delete the files.This will inevitably cause problems for any business, and can even lead to a computer is useless.Hackers can rip operating systems from each other and awful problems network or computer.

Value network security

Knowing how destructive hacker might display network security most network s have enabled a firewall blocks hackers and viruses with virus protection software on all computers in the network is mandatory in network all computers are connected, so if a computer has a virus, other computers can be adversely affected by the same virus. any administrator network should have all the core files on the backup drive. If the file is deleted, hacker, but there is a backup, there is no where files will be lost forever, trouble the network is an important thing for businesses and homes. hackers are trying to make life difficult, but if you are ready for them, your network will be safe.

Networking Structures Explained

2010-10-08T19:00:00.000+07:00

For many people is that they are only going to buy some wireless equipment and then they are sudden realisation--they have no idea how their network layout is going to work with wireless connection. Well there are a few things you should think about when you decide how you are going to connect to your computer with all that great new wireless gear.

Ad-hoc network s explained.

Ad-hoc network s are the ones your wireless devices to create a more or less on their own--they are also called peer-to-peer network sec.In ad-hoc network every computer network serves as equal ' peers ' with each one sending data to the facility is most often used in place of the real network allows companies, such as file-sharing. You can create ad-hoc wireless network s between computers that have Wi-Fi equipment--Internet access is not required.

These works network using something called "SSID (service set identifier). In fact this name network, decided on a machine that was the first to connect to network (Yes, network consisting of just yourself). Other computers that connect to network can connect simply by being in network name (SSID) THAT they want.

It is powerful. You can put your wireless laptop next to each other, and the two computers you can create a small network for themselves on the fly.Thanks ing works the way wireless network, they keep connection even if you move them--the only thing that will cause the computer to turn off when they are out of range for many people this spells the end of messing with CDs and floppies--they finally you can use your laptop as a portfolio, carrying all from one place to another.

Somewhere with your laptop and automatically included in your wireless network also gives you access to shared resources such as printers. Imagine being able to take your computer somewhere where there is a printer, click Print, assemble, and to carry away again. Ad-hoc network ing makes this a reality.

The access point.

Access points, on the other hand, a way to connect the ad-hoc wireless network to real, wired network.Please note that this network might just be a LAN, or it may be the entire Internet.There is a wireless access point hardware, software, sort, allowing you to connect to a wired network wireless device for example, the Internet connection sharing is the access point software on the Internet, while wireless router is a wired network.If you have wireless access to your Office, most likely, it is provided as a wireless access point to the wired network to give people an opportunity to engage in wireless devices and their connection to the LAN.

Network containing an access point is sometimes referred to as the "infrastructure" network compared to ad-hoc, it's worth to remember, however, that part of the infrastructure network still includes special network between computers--they can still communicate as much as they could before.

If you think about it, you can see the structure of an access point allows you to create a series of s network, all related Internet in this scheme, this is just another wired network. you can connect a wired network to the Internet, connect to a wireless network wired access point network--whatever you want.

The string s network is potentially infinite, s wired network, to break the wireless ones as often as they should in some cases this concept is called lilypad network ing because it allows your computer like a frog, hopping from lilypad lilypad. even if the whole area is covered with water lilypads, frog can be accessed through--and you can make wireless network s work equally.

Social networking-the truth about social networks for socially encouraged entrepreneurs

2010-10-08T11:32:00.000+07:00

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Conversation is natural, for some at least, and social networking should be just as natural but it seems as though we've lost the art of conversation somehow. True, there are those amongst us who prefer a quiet book, a walk alone in the park or a shack in the middle of a wood or high on a mountainside somewhere but most of us would like to think we knew how to network and how to be social wouldn't we?

For others the thought of social networking sends a painful shiver down the spine and if this is sounding a little like you this roadmap should help to point you in the right direction.

I hope you will take something new and valuable from this and add it to your networking know-how to become the social networking superstar you always wanted to be and if centre stage isn't for you, then perhaps a supporting role with damn good backing vocals that people will remember for years to come is more your social networking story..

We define conversation as an informal talking together, and that is exactly what social networking is all about sharing our voices, visions and personalities across the social web. People enjoy sharing what they are doing, reading, watching and offering their opinions, finding out about what others are doing, thinking and feeling as one with a community of like-minded people, in the new way of communicating online.

But many times there is an underlying collective purpose to this sharing. It is a participatory effort. The social aspect reflects that people have something in common, and the networking brings those people and their ideas together. Social networking, because it is made up of two words, can have many meanings, and using this form of communication can only compliment the way you do business and how you build relationships.

Businesses all over the world can have their name spread in a positive or negative way through social networking, depending on how interested people are in the business, the topic and the product or service on offer but don't be fooled, this new media conversation is a powerful marketing toll if tuned and channelled correctly.

This type of networking builds social awareness and potentially, more visitors to a site or location. The social side of networking is an excellent way to stay connected in relationships and build new ones across the world.

Social networking is the new way to inform and to be informed, and its influence is growing every minute like a modern day Bible.

Social media as a whole transcends age, race and religion in a way nothing has ever done before. Teenagers can have much more in common with twenty somethings, thirty somethings, middle agers and even old guys like me these days. They are all, for the most part, using the power of conversation through Web 2.0 sites and cell phones.

The simple truth is that people want to know what other people are doing, and people like to tell others about it. But social networking is not just about finding out that someone just took a shower or finished gardening the yard. It's about setting up a strategy to expand your reach in relationships, business and life in general.

The opportunity to set up social networking links abounds on the world wide web today and yet in many of today's social networking site URL's, there is no longer the "www" of the past, and therefore no websites, or not as we once knew them.

Getting set up on one or many of the networking sites requires you to input content, but becoming a member of a social network is easy and generally free.

Plugging in all your information like name, email and any info and choosing a password all form part of the process of registration and have to occur but most of the larger sites are now connected so it's fairly easy to transfer data from one site to another with a few clicks of the mouse.

After that, you just have to figure out how to navigate around the site itself in order to start to build your network of contacts and friends. Click on all the links, connect with a few friends, post a few messages, and you're on your way to being a social networking superstar.

Once you feel confident, choose more than one site, maybe in different social networking channels to be connected in several different ways and with different groups of people.

So how are people connected and what can it mean for business?

Here's an example of how social networking sites can work for business..

Joe may be looking for a new car, Sue is going to the beach and Dan is searching for a job. If they're all communicating on a common channel such as Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn, there's a possibility that they can all help each other. Joe has a friend that needs an employee, Sue sells cars, and Dan needs a ride to the beach. Then, Bob comments on the cars Sue is selling, Mike mentions that he works with the company that Joe's friend works for, and so on. Sounds simple but it works.

The networking brings them all together with sites that meet each of their different needs. Now, it's not every day that social networking can make such breakthroughs, but the possibility to connect with others through social networking is very possible with consistent use and knowledge.

Your networking reads and posts can reveal all sorts of new data you might have never encountered before. As a business owner, you can listen in on what your customers are saying about you. As an individual, you can do the same. With both, through social networking you may defend yourself, thank someone for a comment, or remain silent but you are always informed provided you listen!

Some sites connect people from around the world in different ways through shared content such as articles or photos, for a viewer to peruse and comment on.

HubPages, Squidoo and LinkedIn are such sites that are easy to read through and superb communities, as well as potential sources of additional income.

Squidoo features a massive array of topics where people create "lenses," or individual pages of information on particular topics. It's a fun site to visit to get answers to almost any question, and provide a space to influence others through social networking stories, ideas and offerings of well researched content.

HubPages offers advice on many different topics and rates pages with reader input as "Hot," "Best," and "Latest," with photos and videos to round it out. LinkedIn is a more professional site, with a network that goes around the world and represents nearly 200 industries.

These sites can also be a forum for either positive or negative activity and input. A communicator may post on his HubPage that he loves a particular new milkshake at McDonald's, or that he despises it. Depending on the creativity of the post (a clever song, a YouTube event with sound effects, or outrageous writing, graphics and photos), it can be widely read all over the world, impacting millions of potential buyers on a social networking platform, or it can be a "dud" with only ten viewers. This social networking voting process can be valuable to a business, or a challenging encounter. The handling of the particular case is what matters, and there's plenty of advice out there on social networking sites on how to deal with it.

But staying on one "channel" when social marketing doesn't have to be your end all. You go to Facebook to post and read up on the social activities of all your networking friends. The question is, will you connect with more than one site? I'd say you will. You'll see a connection to a group of photos on Flickr, a photo social networking site, so you link to it. Or, a YouTube connection is sent to you by a buddy on Twitter and you pursue that. Many of the sites are interlinked and a part of the social networking strategy that good marketers have in place is to cross-reference targeted content across these different social networking sites.

It is all interrelated, this thing we call social networking business, and when you want to pursue it, you can go deep, spending hours reading and posting, or you can limit yourself to a set amount of timeeach day. Either way, learn how to tame it or it will drag you off into the jungle never to be seen again.

The beauty of social networking is that you can get as close to people or stay as far away as you want or need to so don't hit the panivc button if the threat of social networking activity is looming and you're simply not the social type. You can be an observer only, scrolling through masses of text on various Web 2.0 sites, or commenting and participating as a social person who likes networking with those from around the world.

There are similarities in social marketing media and traditional media such as radio, television and print. Both are evolving in technique and delivery. Both have various channels with which to communicate. The notable difference between social networking media and traditional media is that with social networking, the audience plays a much bigger part in what is portrayed. There is still the factor of "truth," as a reporter may show a particular slant that is not completely true in traditional media, and a post on a social networking site may not be completely true either. It can be an outright lie, in fact. But the difference is, with social media, this will quickly be exposed by the people who use the site, as the social networking reader may make his own opinions and then comment and input on the topic him or herself and others in their network will follow.

There is not necessarily an "overlord," a "commander-in-chief" or a designated leader in social marketing, which is a positive and interesting way to look at it. You'd like to participate, go ahead. State your case. Social marketing is most effectively used with participation and influence and not through controls (although some sites are designated as "family friendly" and lewd and rude content are discouraged).

Make your comments and voice your compliments or concerns in a way that is natural and honest and people will start to trust you and value your input. Social networking is there for the creator and for the commentator. If and when you are passionate about a topic, create your own hub, blog or video. In addition to the social networking sites mentioned here, there are many others, on a wide variety of topics.

What is the goal? You might ask. Social marketing is not about the content itself sometimes, but a way to get connected and to observe the results of the conversations themselves. These various social networking strategies and activities are weaved together to use as business tools and entertainment. It allows people involved in Web 2.0 networking the capacity to become not only content readers, but also, if they wish, content creators and publishers.

Knowledge management is the key to successful communities of practice (online)

2010-10-08T03:56:00.000+07:00

How can I make my community practice really effective?

How can I prevent my network becomes "notwork?

Communities (network m) underlie management successfully knowledge in most organizations.They are the lifeblood of an informal exchange of knowledge in General communities undergo several stages as they develop. This article shall be drawn from the popular fieldbook management knowledge, the author defines the key steps to creating and sustaining a successful community practices by providing practical advice and tips for every part of the life cycle.

The guidelines below are taken from the book "learning to Fly-practical knowledge management from leading and learning organizations" (Chris Collison and Geoff Parcell) and sets the number of steps in deploying, energising and sustaining communities (network s) in your organization.

1. planning

Assemble a list of potential participants. use links-ask people if they can recommend others to participate.Consider the possibility of enlargement will benefit from diversity. members are not closely related to the domain of interest in different views of your network?

2. Action:-go/
Check for duplication or overlap with other network s/groups, check the network and make clear go/solution.
There are spheres realistic, or subject matter is too wide for a single network?Take some soundings from potential members and to consider splitting into two or more sub network s if necessary.

Getting started

3. conduct face-to-face initial workshop

Make sure that it includes social activity for building relationships and trust. If most interactions will probably be via email or phone, it is important to build relationships.

4. the "Charter" collectively
Development of a simple "Charter", which may include:
rationale and scope for network, key role (mediator, author, etc.), waiting for the time of the will of the people (looking for assistance in providing air cover "from their managers?), code of conduct-as members work together and key processes/tools, the feeling of" what success looks like, and in any relevant key performance indicators (KPIs).(but avoid over-burdening network measures at an early stage in his growth)
5. review the tools to support

Check out the available instruments and their distribution among the members, especially for network which crosses organizational boundaries.

6. appoint a mediator
Moderator network, some of which, in practice, can be used with other users in network may include:
The network meetings/teleconferences; maintaining mailing lists network; owning and maintaining a common information and knowledge resources; monitoring performance network and stimulating and pressure members network if necessary; as the Coordinator for network, both internally and for those who are outside network

Note-broker network don't need "subject experts.Much more important is the ability to include other persons involved and the work behind the scenes to keep network "cooking".

7. setting up an e-mail distribution list and send an e-mail message with the
Create an email distribution list for your network consisting of potential members names defined. This should lead to further communications.
Network Coordinator must be defined as the owner of this and you can add or remove people from the distribution yourself.
The initial contact to initiate a dialogue.

The pace of construction

8. primary discussion of certain issues
Creating behaviors by setting the Member with special needs (the do it yourself, if possible).
In the early stages, it is important to demonstrate response coordinator must be ready to pick up the phone and click on the answers behind the scenes.

9. publish network

What the media exists in your organization?You can write short news article to the appropriate internal or external magazine describing the network and its purpose?

10. Advertising quick wins
When you get answers to your questions or transfer of ideas between members, celebrate and make sure that everyone knows

11. activity monitoring ...
Follow discussion forum/Q and effectiveness:
Frequency input Frequency response number of unanswered voprosovDlâ large network s-number of graduates of Carpenters
12. maintenance connection
Schedule of regular teleconferences, consolidate achievements, make a list of "frequently asked questions and common space/Web site.

Renewed commitment

13. to clarify the
For large network s contact existing members, reminding them to let you know if they would like to be removed from the list. it is better to have a small group of committed members than larger groups with variable commitment.

14. F2F meetings
Consider the personal collection of resume relations and to introduce new members

15. Keep the focus on business issues
Continue to ask frequently asked questions-more success stories.

16. performance overview
How does the network on his contract, mission and key performance indicators (KPIs)? there are still regularly examples of success?

17.
Don't be afraid to threaten "turn off" network and check the response of people soon would not object if they firmly believe in it!

This time the Zakat, your community Or reinvent it??
Consider the options
Solution for the future:
Continue? celebrate and close the Overwritten?? results pane divided into sub network s?
Conclusion

Launch and support a successful communites of practice is one of the most effective ways to keep your investments in management knowledge she took the thought and effort to get started, but with the right people and the steps outlined above, they can bring kilometres of life in any organization.

Network security-the road ahead

2010-10-07T20:53:00.000+07:00

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Network Security - The road ahead

Introduction
What is Network Security?
"Network
Security" -Monitoring

"Network Security" -Forensics
"Network Security" -Compliance

HIPAA

SOX
GLBA

Conclusion

Introduction

Network Security is the next wave which is bound to sweep the software

market. Increase in offshore projects and transfer of information

across the wire has added fuel to the burning urge to secure the

network. As the famous adage goes, the most safest computer is

one which has been unplugged from the network(making it almost

useless). Network security

is becoming more of a necessity. Interestingly the type of security

required across different enterprises depends on the nature of its

business. Offlate some laws & acts have been defined to

identify security breaches, which is a very good move to prevent

fradulent use/access of information. There are two types of softwares

for Network security, one which prevents it and one which does the

forensic analysis. The main focus of this article would be

the forensics of network security.

What is Network Security?

network security: the

protection of a computer network and its services from unauthorized

modification, destruction, or

disclosure

Network security is a self-contradicting philosophy where you need to

give absolute access and at the same time provide absolute security.

Any enterprise needs to secure itself from two different access of

information/transaction for that matter(ex:ftp,http etc.), internal

access and external access. Securing the access of information or

resources from the external world(WWW) is quite a task to master, that

is where the firewalls pitch in. The firewalls act as gatekeepers who

seggregate the intrusive and non-intrusive requests and allow access.

Configuring & maintaining a firewall is by itself a task which

needs experience and knowledge. There are no hard and fast rules

to instruct the firewalls, it depends on where the firewall is

installed and how the enterprise intends to provide access to

information/resources. So, the effectivity of any firewall depends on

how well or how bad you configure it. Please be informed many firewalls

come with pre-configured rules, which intend to make the job of

securing the information access from external sources. In short

firewall gives you information about attacks happenning from the

external world.

The toughest job is to secure information from the internal sources.

More than securing it, managers need to track the information flow, to

identify possible casuatives. The tracking of information flow will

come in handy in case of legal situations. Because what seemingly to be

a sharing of information could be held against you in the court of

law. To enforce this, acts such as HIPAA, GLBA, SOX have been

putforth, to ensure that the scam(s) like that of "Enron" does

not happen. In short the tracking of information and audit gives you

information abouot security breaches and possible internal attacks.

There are a variety of network security attacks/ breaches:

Denial of Service
Virus attacks
Unauthorized Access
Confidentiality breaches
Destruction of information
Data manipulation

Interestingly , all these information are available across the

enterprise in the form of log files. But to read it through

and making sense out of it, will take a life time. That is where the

"Network Security" monitoring also known as "Log Monitoring" softwares

pitch in. They do a beautiful

job of making sense out of the information spread across various

locations and offer the system administrators a holistic view of what

is happening in their network, in terms of Network Security. In short they

collect,collate,analyze & produce reports which help the

system administrator to keep tabs on Network Security.

"Network Security" -Monitoring

No matter how fine your defense systems are, you need to have someone

to make sense out of the huge amount of data churned out of a edge

device like firewall and the system logs. The typical enterprise logs

about 2-3GB/day depending upon the enterprise the size might vary. The

main goal of the forensic software is to mine through the vast amount

of information and pull out events that need attention. The

"Network security" softwares play a major role in identifying the

causatives and security breaches that are happenning in the

enterprise.

Some of the major areas that needed to be addressed by any network

security product is to provide a collective virus attacks across

different edge devices in the network. What this offers for an

enterprise is a holistic view, of the attacks happening across the

enterprise. It offers a detailed overview of the bandwidth

usage, it should also provide user based access reports. The

product has to highlight sescurity breaches and misuse of internet

access, this will enable the administrator to take the necessary

steps. The edge devices monitoring product has to provide other

stuffs like Traffic trends,insight into capacity planning and Live

traffic monitoring, which will help the administrator to find causes

for network congestion.

The internal monitoring product has to offer the audit information of

users, system security breaches and activity audit trails (ex: remote

access) As most of the administrators are ignorant of the requirements

for the

compliance acts, it is better to cross reference which acts apply to

their enterprise and ensure that the product supports reporting for the

compliance acts(please refer here

for details on compliance)

In altoghether they will have to support archiving, scheduling of

reports and a comprehensive list of reports. please follow the next

section for more details.

"Network Security" -Forensics

The most important features you need to

lookout,when you short list a network security forensic product is the

ability

to archive the raw records. This is a major factor when it comes to

acts and laws. So in the court of law, the original record has to be

produced as proof and not the custom format of the vendor. The

next one to lookout for is the ability to create alerts, i.e the

ability to notify whenever some criteria happens ex: when 3

unsuccessfull login attempts mail me kind of stuff, or better still if

there is a virus attack for from the same host more than once, notify

me etc. This will reduce the lot of manual intervention needed in

keeping the network secure. Moreover the ability to schedule

reports is a big plus. You don't have to check the reports daily. Once

you have done your ground work as to configure some basic alerts and

some scheduled reports. It should be a cakewalk from then on. All

you need to do is check out the information(alerts/reports) you get in

your inbox. It is recommended that you configure reports on a weekly

basis. So that it is never too late to react to a potential threat.

And finally a comprehensive list of reports is a vital feature to

lookout for. Here is a list of reports that might come in handy

for any enterprise:

Reports to expect from edge devices such as a firewall:

Live monitoring
Security reports
Virus reports
Attack reports
Traffic reports
Protocol usage reports
Web usage reports
Mail usage reports
FTP usage reports
Telnet usage reports
VPN reports
Inbound/Outbound traffic reports
Intranet reports
Internet reports
Trend reports

Reports to expect from compliance and internal monitoring:

( see compliance sub-heading for reports on compliance)

User Audit reports (successfull/unsuccessful login attempts)
Audit policy changes (ex: change in privileges etc)
Password changes
Account Lockout
User account changes
IIS reports
DHCP reports
MSI reports( lists the products installed/uninstalled)
Group policy changes
RPC reports
DNS reports
Active directory reports

The gating factor for choosing a monitoring product is to cross verify

whether the devices you have in your network are supported by the

vendor you choose. There are quite a number of products which

address this market, you might want to search for "firewall analyzer"

and "eventlog analyzer" in google.

"Network Security" -Compliance

Most of the industries such as health care and financial

institutions are mandated to be compliant with HIPAA and SOX acts.

These acts enforce stringent rules in all aspects of the enterprise

including the physical access of information. (This section

concetrates on the software requirement of the acts) There are quite a

number of agencies that offer the compliance as a service for an

enterprise. But it all depends on whether you want to handle compliance

yourself or employ a third party vendor to ensure compliance to the

acts.

HIPAA Compliance:

HIPAA defines the Security Standards for monitoring and auditing system

activity. HIPAA regulations mandate analysis of all logs,

including OS

and application logs including both perimeter devices, such as IDSs, as

well as insider activity. Here are some of the important reports that

need to be in place:

User Logon report: HIPAA requirements (164.308 (a)(5) -
log-in/log-out monitoring) clearly state that user accesses to the
system be recorded and monitored for possible abuse. Remember, this
intent is not just to catch hackers but also to document the accesses
to medical details by legitimate users. In most cases, the very fact
that the access is recorded is deterrent enough for malicious activity,
much like the presence of a surveillance camera in a parking lot.
User Logoff report: HIPAA requirements clearly state that user
accesses to the system be recorded and monitored for possible abuse.
Remember, this intent is not just to catch hackers but also to document
the accesses to medical details by legitimate users. In most cases, the
very fact that the access is recorded is deterrent enough for malicious
activity, much like the presence of a surveillance camera in a parking
lot.
Logon Failure report: The security logon feature includes logging
all unsuccessful login attempts. The user name, date and time are
included in this report.
Audit Logs access report: HIPAA requirements (164.308 (a)(3) -
review and audit access logs) calls for procedures to regularly review
records of information system activity such as audit logs.
Security Log Archiving Utility:Periodically, the system
administrator will be able to back up encrypted copies of the log data
and restart the logs.

SOX Compliance:

Sarbanes-Oxlet defines the collection,retention and review of audit

trail log data from all sources under section 404's IT process

controls. These logs form the basis of the internal controls that

provide corporations with the assurance that financial and business

information is factual and accurate. Here are some of the important

reports to look for:

User Logon report:SOX requirements (Sec 302 (a)(4)(C) and (D) -
log-in/log-out monitoring) clearly state that user accesses to the
system be recorded and monitored for possible abuse. Remember, this
intent is not just to catch hackers but also to document the accesses
to medical details by legitimate users. In most cases, the very fact
that the access is recorded is deterrent enough for malicious activity,
much like the presence of a surveillance camera in a parking lot.
User Logoff report:SOX requirements (Sec 302 (a)(4)(C) and (D)
clearly state that user accesses to the system be recorded and
monitored for possible abuse. Remember, this intent is not just to
catch hackers but also to document the accesses to medical details by
legitimate users. In most cases, the very fact that the access is
recorded is deterrent enough for malicious activity, much like the
presence of a surveillance camera in a parking lot.
Logon Failure reportThe security logon feature includes logging
all unsuccessful login attempts. The user name, date and time are
included in this report.
Audit Logs access report:SOX requirements (Sec 302 (a)(4)(C) and
(D) - review and audit access logs) calls for procedures to regularly
review records of information system activity such as audit logs.
Security Log Archiving Utility:Periodically, the system
administrator will be able to back up encrypted copies of the log data
and restart the logs.
Track Account management changes:Significant changes in the
internal controls sec 302 (a)(6). Changes in the security configuration
settings such as adding or removing a user account to a admistrative
group. These changes can be tracked by analyzing event logs.
Track Audit policy changes:Internal controls sec 302 (a)(5) by
tracking the event logs
for any changes in the security audit policy.
Track individual user actions:Internal controls sec 302 (a)(5) by
auditing user activity.
Track application access:Internal controls sec 302 (a)(5) by
tracking application
process.
Track directory / file access:Internal controls sec 302 (a)(5)
for any access violation.

GLBA Compliance:

The Financial Services Modernization Act (FMA99) was signed into law in

January 1999 (PL 106-102). Commonly referred to as the

Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act or GLBA, Title V of the Act governs the steps

that financial institutions and financial service companies must

undertake to ensure the security and confidentiality of customer

information. The Act asserts that financial services companies

routinely collect Non-Public Personal Information (NPI) from

individuals, and must notify those individuals when sharing information

outside of the company (or affiliate structure) and, in some cases,

when using such information in situations not related to the

furtherance of a specific financial transaction.

User Logon report:GLBA Compliance requirements clearly state that
user accesses to the system be recorded and monitored for possible
abuse. Remember, this intent is not just to catch hackers but also to
document the accesses to medical details by legitimate users. In most
cases, the very fact that the access is recorded is deterrent enough
for malicious activity, much like the presence of a surveillance camera
in a parking lot.
User Logoff report:GLBA requirements clearly state that user
accesses to the system be recorded and monitored for possible abuse.
Remember, this intent is not just to catch hackers but also to document
the accesses to medical details by legitimate users. In most cases, the
very fact that the access is recorded is deterrent enough for malicious
activity, much like the presence of a surveillance camera in a parking
lot.
Logon Failure report:The security logon feature includes logging
all unsuccessful login attempts. The user name, date and time are
included in this report.
Audit Logs access report:GLAB requirements (review and audit
access logs) calls for procedures to regularly review records of
information system activity such as audit logs.
Security Log Archiving Utility:Periodically, the system
administrator will be able to back up encrypted copies of the log data
and restart the logs.

Conclusion

"Network Security" has to be done both internally as well as

externally, the job of nailing the problem is a huge task

which needs expertise and mostly help from softwares such as EventLog Analyzers(compliance and internal monitoring of internal machines) and Firewall Analyzer(virus,attacks

and traffic monitoring of edge devices).

Bibliography

http://www.interhack.net/pubs/network-security/

http://www.hipaa.org/

[http://www.sarbanes-oxley.com/]

http://www.senate.gov/~banking/conf/

That each financial institution should know about social networking

2010-10-07T13:07:00.000+07:00

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Parameter name: request

The aim of any business is to be successful and profitable throughout the lifetime of the organization. The evolution of communication technology in recent years has helped make this possible by improving a business's ability to network with its existing and potential customers. What once required face-to-face conversations and the physical exchange of contact information can now be done in an entirely virtual environment with just a click of a button.

Advances in communication technology, such as texting, blogging, emailing, media sharing and gaming, have created new social norms and revolutionized the way people communicate. It is no wonder, then, that the financial services industry is beginning to use various forms of Computer Mediated Communication (CMC) to enhance customer service and improve current products and services. The most popular form of CMC are social networking websites such as Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, and LinkedIn, which are used primarily to maintain or build connections among users.

Social networking sites represent a large market with tremendous growth potential that can be easily targeted by financial institutions if they know how to use these sites to their advantage. Like many organizations that have already experienced the benefits of using social networking sites to enhance their business, financial institutions are beginning to understand and embrace the power of social networking as it relates to their day-to-day business activities as well. Whether educating customers on new services, boosting customer confidence, increasing sales outreach or personally connecting with their customers to meet their banking needs - social networking is a vital communication tool that financial institutions can utilize in many of their customer business interactions.

Understanding Social Networking

Social networking is a form of collaboration and networking where individuals develop groups and associations, often forming a virtual community. While social networking is possible in a face-to-face setting, such as on a college campus, it is most often seen online in a CMC environment. The size and popularity of the "communities" created by MySpace and Facebook and other social networking websites have experienced substantial growth as more and more people invite their acquaintances, co-workers, friends and family members into these virtual communities.

The traditional roles of the sender and receiver involve delivering messages in a clear and concise way and providing feedback to achieve agreement of a particular subject. Social networking uses these same basic building blocks but accomplishes the end results in a slightly different way. The cues that help facilitate understanding in a face-to-face environment (e.g., intonation of voice, body language, facial expressions, physical distance, etc.) are often removed in a social networking environment. Though some websites offer an audio visual element, social networking is largely text-based, relying on "digital gestures" to demonstrate emotions and add emphasis to a message, such as:

? Forwarding.

? Recommending.

? Sharing.

? Tagging.

Social Networking Applications for Business

Networking has always been a key success factor in the business world. Networking involves linking together individuals who, through trust and relationship building, become walking, talking advertisements for one another. Traditional networking often takes place face-to-face at business lunches, conferences or exhibitions, where people are able to meet and establish mutually beneficial working relationships.

Online social networking offers many of the same benefits as traditional networking, while allowing bankers to more easily network with the average consumer as well as with their colleagues in the financial industry. Used appropriately, online social networking offers businesses the opportunity to develop meaningful, long-lasting customer relationships.

A study of the banking industry and the ways in which several banks' board members networked with others showed that though these professionals are interested in using networking to secure new customers and to maintain and develop existing customer relationships, they also want to use networking to represent their banks in community, professional and trade organizations and to procure market trends and competitive information.

To achieve the goals identified in this study, board members and other bank employees must first understand what social networking is and how it can be used to position their banks above others in the industry. If properly trained, these employees can use social networking to achieve their banks' organizational goals and place their banks in the top positions in the industry in the following five ways:

? Community building.

? Product research.

? Customer service.

? Marketing and promotion.

? Transparency.

Social networking is currently being used to bolster the reputations of the financial institutions that use it, providing information both internally and externally. This type of information sharing builds consumer confidence and helps employees understand the importance of their roles within their banks and how they should strive to achieve the highest standard of customer service.

Challenges of Social Networking in the Workplace

One of the first challenges of integrating social networking with the workplace is helping employees understand the importance of using this technological tool. The next challenge is in addressing the training needs of the organization to bring all employees up-to-speed on the etiquette, functionality and general norms of such a medium. This means determining who will be maintaining the websites, how end users will experience the websites, and how policies and procedures concerning social networking will be shared, and with whom inside of the organization. And finally, relationship management in a virtual environment poses a challenge. This last challenge should be a primary focus when implementing a social networking-friendly policy or procedure.

A great deal of the CMC that occurs in social networking happens through what has become known as Social Information Processing (SIP) theory. The theoretician who first introduced SIP, Joseph Walther, stated that the nature of relationships created online can be drastically different from those established in person, particularly when individuals act differently than they would in a non-virtual environment. While Walther acknowledged that the rate at which these relationships are formed may change over time as individuals become more familiar with the technology, he argued that relationships in a CMC environment would take up to four times longer to establish.

To counter this potential limitation, banks might seek to make use of the theory of attribution, which states that individuals link observed behaviors of others with causal explanations to help them understand what type of people they are communicating with. The time to develop relationships can be shortened using attribution theory because bankers can use their observations to make product or service recommendations based on needs that they have established.

Using Social Networking to Connect with Customers

Though social networking poses its own challenges, it can also be used to overcome other challenges that banks may face. For example, social networking allows financial institutions to boost consumer confidence, increase sales, and strengthen customer relationships, which are all areas of concern as they can give a bank a competitive edge over others in the banking industry.

When consumer confidence is low and distrust of the banking industry is high, particularly in times of economic crisis, social networking has allowed for greater transparency and has opened up a conversation with consumers. The public forum created by websites like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and MySpace provide the financial services industry an ability to address customers' banking needs by:

? Acting as a medium for customers to send their questions and concerns to a bank, with immediate feedback from a banking expert.

? Replacing one-sided information dissemination like press releases or bank-sponsored advertisements.

? Reassuring the public of safety and soundness policies and procedures.

? Eliminating skepticism through informative links, text, graphics and audio or visual elements.

? Educating customers about products and services that address specific needs.

Protecting Customer Information

One of the main concerns of financial institutions is the protection of information and financial assets. As technology makes it easier to communicate with people in remote locations or to conduct financial transactions, it also enables thieves to obtain customers' confidential, nonpublic information, putting customers at risk of identity theft and other similar schemes.

Financial institutions have addressed these potential information security breaches by creating Know Your Customer (KYC) programs and prioritizing identity verification and the reporting of suspicious activity. The same precautions and care should be exercised when using social networking websites to ensure that customer information remains protected.

Implications for Legal Compliance and Record Keeping

Once a financial institution's directors and staff understand the implications and proper use of social networking websites, it is important that the institution's policies and procedures be revised to reflect the addition of these new business activities. This ensures that the institution remains in compliance with industry laws and regulations, and it demonstrates to the public that the organization is fair and respectful of customers and employees and that it works to protect its customers' information and financial assets.

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) recently issued a publication that provides guidance to financial institutions regarding the use of social media in their business operations. FINRA Regulatory Notice 10-06 outlines the necessary recordkeeping requirements that financial institutions must abide by and provides guidelines for the supervision of non-static messages sent social networking websites.

Because social networking websites are fairly new and financial institutions are only just beginning to explore their potential uses, the twelve government agencies that control the financial services industry, in addition to other organizations like FINRA, are continuing to develop and amend regulations. For instance, the use of social networking affects advertising requirements for financial institutions, as stated in Regulations Z and DD. It also affects Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) membership, Federal Housing Administration (FHA) and non-deposit retail investment and fair lending implications. It is the responsibility of each institution to be aware of current regulations and how their use of these websites affects their compliance current law. Management should also understand the risks of noncompliance and be sure that their policies and procedures are updated to reflect these changes.

Final Word

Financial institutions must consider the risks and rewards of using social networking tools in their everyday business operations, and ensure that these tools conform to policies and legislation, while meeting the needs of their customers. Because customers are the driving force for success in the financial services industry, the key to protecting them is through employee education. It is imperative that bank employees are appropriately trained before and during the use of any type of social networking tool. Understanding how this new form of communication impacts the organization in the long-term can help a financial institution plan for and attain future success, while focusing on keeping customer relationships strong and information and financial assets secure as social networking becomes a more prominent business tool.

Five reasons to use Google Chrome (or IE9 Beta)

2010-10-04T13:30:00.000+07:00

From Richi Jennings. 16 September 2010.
(GOOG)

Yesterday, Preston Gralla which his five reasons to use Internet Explorer 9.Today, here's the riposte Richi juste: fanboi for free, no apology: I give you: five reasons for Windows users to switch to Google chrome, instead of IE9 beta. Yes, this is Big appearance again…

It's faster
Preston said IE9 is faster than previous versions--but it's not really saying much. As he points out the chrome was the fastest browser in the tests: 25% faster than IE9.

(Aside: I agree with him that is slow to the latest beta of Firefox 4.)

This increases the screen real estate
As rightly pointed out by Preston, IE9 new clean look is inherited from chrome.Firefox 4 does the same thing, but as FF4, and IE9 wastes space above the tabs at the maximum. it may seem a small thing, but as more of us turn to wide screen 16: 9 or 16: 10, vertical space is at a premium, relatively speaking.

IE9 compensates, tabs and address bar ' one ' putting on the same line, but it just has a limit on the amount of space that you can use the tabs in chrome a decision to liquidate the title makes sense.

In fact there are useful additions
Preston was impressed by the performance monitor, add-ins in IE9, but that would be more useful if there was a decently-sized community writers add-ins for your browser.

Firefox has this for some time, of course. Chrome went from a wide selection of Add-ons in what seems like the blink of an eye.

(Aside: Yes, I know I promised to post the list best Add-ons Chrome. patience is a virtue.)

It also integrates with Windows 7
Although there's no easier way to pin the site icon on the taskbar, chrome support jumplists most visited sites, recently closed Windows.

In other words, right-click on the icon for chrome on the taskbar, and you're presented with two pop-up lists that Chrome automatically creates for you a contains sites that you frequently visit--the same list that you get in a new tab. another contains tabs you closed recently, in case you want to open them.

In the address bar supports Instant Google
Almost everyone is raving about Google Instant. What is betting that the next stable beta build chrome supports this functionality directly from the address bar?

What's your favorite browser? · leave a comment below (even if it's Opera) ...

You can also read Richi full profile and disclosure ownership industry.

Still thinking about the framework

2010-10-04T06:28:00.000+07:00

11 September 2010

Last month, when I wrote my post "how would write a framework to replace the PCI?" I had a core idea that I just had to go in one way or another. It has been bouncing around in my head for weeks, and rather than continue to let the Ricochet off the inside of my head, I launch a project in this post and figured out the rest, it will just naturally from there. Except when I started writing some of my ideas into iThoughts and after talking with folks like Josh Korman and Andy Ellis, I realized how great project, I was really begins and how complex is the whole thing. I also got some very insightful comments on the original post, which gave me even more to think about.And one of the things I realized that this is not something I can do in one or two posts, this is what I actually need to plan and write with some forethought. This is not my normal expression at all.

One of the basic principles I have for me was to focus on results rather than the controls. I also said that I would like all derived from the policy that is directly opposed to focusing on the results. Politics is never a result is a range of base controls, we have created our results, we hope to work towards.So from the outset, I myself and not contrary to life before my own purposes, the only thing I can say is, if done right, wait for results, the business of creating. In other words, I think the policy as a way to create rules for PCI and security, so I think they should be the very first thing that makes business when they want to help improve security.

I'm not much closer to the next article in this series than I was when I wrote the first every time I speak with someone about PCI and how it can be reformed, I come away with more questions than answers and have to wonder if perhaps frame, suitable for a broad and diverse cross-section of the industry.We are working on security as an institution within three to four decades, but firewalls and antivirus is the best thing we can think of.I am not a delusion that I was going to be able to fix or even significantly improve the situation.

I'm still thinking about how to move, I still plan on writing more on the subject, but I need to plan it out and tell more people about how this can be done, and could be a few months before I can write the following steps in this article series, but I'm still thinking about it and answer it and I hope it will be worth the wait.

What skills must learn to Geek kid?

2010-10-03T22:45:00.000+07:00

The server was unable to process the request due to an internal error. For more information about the error, either turn on IncludeExceptionDetailInFaults (either from ServiceBehaviorAttribute or from the configuration behavior) on the server in order to send the exception information back to the client, or turn on tracing as per the Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5.1 SDK documentation and inspect the server trace logs. Jan 13 2010

In a few weeks HacKid will be coming up in Boston at the Microsoft NERD Center. Flying cross country to attend with my family didn't quite work out ’ t, but it did get me thinking about some of the skills I'd like my ’ two boys to master before they're too old to ’ learn to learn anything from their father or any adult, which I figure is about 15. I don 't mean ’ the stuff they learn in school, which while valuable skills are not necessarily the link.they ’ re going to need to survive on a daily basis. I was wondering about the geek skills, both technical and non technical. Since I recently started playing ’ ve with lock picks, decided that would be one of the first of these skills, but I turned to the wisdom of Twitter to add to the list.Below is a compilation of the list I started and some of the suggestions I got from Twitter.

Here you go: Lock picking (physical security being taught at HacKid) How to social engineer a password from someone Fix a printer (or at least replace the paper/cartridge and pull out jammed.He paper) Martial arts/Self-defense (also being taught at HacKid) Electronics/soldering/circuit boards (I ’ d have to learn more about this one myself) Amateur (Ham) radioFast reading/Critical thinking (.they ’ ve got the first handled, I can keep these kids in beautiful Balcón de Europa books) Conflict managementHow to build a tree to build a home fortHow networkHow to build a computerHow to change a tire (This one will wait until they're a little older ’) How to repair a consumer device, how to fix a motorHow to improvise to build what they need (aka Duct tape foo) Role playing games (so this one will do more harm than good, it's still fun ’) Basic self-reliance (which our society seems to want to train out of us) [ireadit] Basic carpentry and plumbing skills [ireadit] Debate skills [Matt Summers] Rope skills: how to make, how to coil without kinks, how to tie knots [Chris J] Bike maintenance [Robin] Basic navigation, both with and without a compass (my kids have been orienteering since they were in diapers) [Robin] Juggling (fun, but essential?)[Robin]Coin/close up magic, handy for social engineering [Robin] And?

Leave comments and I'll add to the ’ list

Can see you HacKid

2010-10-03T14:56:00.000+07:00

25 August 2010

Zack Lanier grown HacKid (pronounced "hacked" I am told) to podcast last night and I just realized I didn't even wrote a post on the subject. my friend Chris Hoff, aka @ glass is one of the main organizers and Zach, Committee, and it looks like it's going to be the start of something that every bet as a fresh and original as BSides, except this time, he will have kids, not a bunch of security professionals who angsty, feel that they have not been adequately represented at Black Hat (I'm teasing, if it is not immediately obvious)

My kids were little geeks that are similar to many of your children is likely. They wake up in the morning and hop online and start playing for DSi, or just pick up a book and reading. Creation and science illustrated their favorite magazines.And some fool for Japanese (is there any other kind?) anime couple of years ago. of the Convention in order to teach them how the Internet works, how to stay safe online and building robots really appeals to them.Add to it that the Convention takes place in the heart of Microsoft NERD and MIT just down the street and you have something that budding geeks find unresistable.

If you are on the East Coast is nowhere near Boston, among children aged 5 to 17 years, think about taking their HacKid in October. keep in mind that every young person should be accompanied by an old man (read: adult guardian), but that each of those classes is likely to have almost as much to teach adults how they do children. anything done on a voluntary basis, and this event is organized as a non-profit, so money is ever going to be a good thing but hurry if you're going to register, cost goes up from $ 50 to $ 75 each next week.

New data center services accepts data engines

2010-10-03T07:56:00.000+07:00

I'm starting to see more interest in EMC'S announcement about its new consolidate it infrastructure solutions, called Vblock, which is part of a broad coalition of EMC, Cisco and VMware called Virtual computing environment Coalition (VCE) and its spin-off Acadia, now headed by Mike Kapellas, which is used to run the Compaq.

It is interesting that EMC owns two thirds VCE, eh?So I'm sure it's "open", right? Wink, wink, nod, smile.

I was so interested in this group, the reason I'm talking about data services engine as a way to reduce expenses for quite a while. this new partnership between the major players like Cisco, VMware and EMC confirms maligned times approach and checks my it optimization engine models and data services, strengthening the paradigm that virtualization is a key driving force of cloud computing and data Center optimization and design.

This new marketing strategy for the convergence of innovation and technology in feature-rich, but simplified proposal is not unique, though.

Apple pushed iPod and iPad as innovative projects on the market for mobile and handheld computing, and Cisco and EMC'S VMware now pitching all "v" (which I assume stands for virtual).EMC is "Vblocks" (this name even conjure up an image of some HEMI V8 engine, right? ERGO paradigm), and VMware VSphere "."

HDS is fighting back by Hitachi unified computing platforms on the basis of virtual memory with managing complex data as part of HP. reducing it costs, is pushing a converged infrastructure that distinguishes "overall modular infrastructure for virtual computing, memory, storage & networking resources."And Cisco has been pushing its unified computing architectures for awhile now.

What is actually a vendor is what I call a service engine (DSE).

Description of services subsystem is as follows:

Module data services is a combination of high availability of hardware and software components, providing modular units it infrastructure for effective operation, protection, replication and recovery of critical applications and data.

DSE hardware components include:

Power efficient grid or blade, calculate blocksModular (solid-state drive) Multiprotocol switches to networks and storage error tolerant power, cooling, shelves and cables

DSE software includes:

Server virtualizationStorage virtualizationWAN optimizationData deduplicationContinuous data protection and data replicationData mobilitySecurityReporting backupOptimized

Even large industrial contractors, such as CJSC Corporation pool party in partnership with VCE, which if you ask me, EMC and Cisco just joined forces to try to take over the world.

The real meaning of it all for end-users, the traditional producers finally get their act together to and now seeing the light, that most organizations in the public and private sectors: simple it solutions that simply work they want their computers to actually help make life easier, not harder.

Users want to be able to select a partner and have a partner to provide compute, storage, networking, backup, replication, restore, security, and reporting capabilities they need to be simple, easy-to-use, easy to implement packages that are modular, cost-effective units.

The good news is that virtualization is finally making these solutions available, and the vision it procurement becomes a real possibility: the bad news is now trying to block providers you their vision of what partner and after they block you, they will have you and your it dollars.

Your homework for today is to do research to figure out where on the network, storage and server industry is moving so that you can be ready for my next blog post on any data services engine must provide in order to impact the bottom line, so you can pick your partners wisely.

Chris Poelker authored storage area networks for Dummies, and he is currently the Vice President of enterprise solutions at FalconStor Software.

Well this time it's not in wine marketing

2010-10-03T00:09:00.000+07:00

Frame in a few years, when this support pilot fish Gets a frantic call from a marketing guy at the exhibition.

"He's Setting graphic terminal demo his stuff," said the fish. "The show began in a couple of hours, and he couldn't get a Terminal to talk to our service.

«After discussing the problem with it, as it turned out he didn't know what he needs to connect the cable from the modem at the rear of the terminal when he told me: "what is it?"I know I was going to do a lot of hand-holding. "

Computerworld presents

More than 70 tales of IT woe
(free registration required)

But marketing guy following instructions, and soon a large terminal works perfect Thanks fish marketing guy and then gets back to work to gather more customers.

A few days later, the Conference has ended and marketing guy and his graphic terminal, back in the Office.Fish Gets a call from a marketing guy; again, he cannot connect to the Terminal and fish can help?

If you connect the cable to the back of the Terminal?queries the fish.

I tried marketing guy says, but it won't go.

Fish head-office marketing guy to see what the problem is.Of course this time marketing guy has reasonable grounds, that he could not connect.

"Anyone who removing crew had any idea what Unscrew the connector from the back," said the fish. "Because they need to get at the end of the show, they burst from the connector on the back. women connect to.

"I eventually forced truck this large terminal diately. we charged the Marketing Department, and we don't hear a peep from them when the Bill.

Break right now and send Sharky your true tale of life it sharky@computerworld.com. will snag the snazzy shirt shark, if I use it: add your comment below, and read some very old tales in Sharkives.

VMware needs to buy Novell

2010-10-02T16:51:00.000+07:00

Novell story was full of ups and downs. After he had been the powerhouse of the NetWare network operating system. Then they tried to be a consulting company. Most recently, Novell has been Linux companies and another Microsoft.

VMware long company business go to virtualization.But now everything in business virtualization. I think VMware should seek to provide a more complete software stack, buying her new best buddy, Novell.

Novell certainly looks for buyer. While the company is still almost a billion in the Bank, he didn't do as well in the market.Red Hat, Novell, Linux companies remains big business. Novell is an important — the company is particularly strong in IBM mainframes Linux space. But as the last Novell income report shows yet, but would also like to its shareholders.

On the other hand, VMware is doing very well. but I still wonder how long VMware can withstand a pressure of so many competitors. There's a Microsoft hyper-v Red Hat with KVM Citrix with Xen and Oracle with VirtualBox and Oracle VM.Even if VMware worlds better than the competition, and I don't think it is everyone else offers virtualization for free or as part of the package.

How long can I keep VMware virtualization? I'm surprised that they have done for so long. I can't see how they can keep doing it.

Unless of course they join Oracle, IBM, Red Hat and Microsoft to provide complete business monitor.VMware, you can use a big step forward by Novell and SUSE Linux lines and its associated network programs as ZENworks and GroupWise.

VMware and Novell have entered into a partnership agreement draw virtual machine VMware vSphere SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES).During a call to the incomes of Novell CEO Ron Hovsepian, Novell announced that sales of VMware has incentives to sell SUSE support and services for their clients. Hovsepian added that VMware and Novell will expand on what's going on with their partnership at the exhibition VMworld this coming week.

Could the two companies announce merger? Were rumors for awhile that VMware may buy Novell. I don't know much about these rumors, but I know this is a thing that makes a lot of sense for both companies.

Stay tuned this week might be interesting in Linux business.

Certified specialist for security applications in the description

2010-10-02T09:34:00.000+07:00

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Last year Rich Mogull and Jeremiah Grossman created a little know certification, the Certified Application Security Specialist or Certified ASS. To those in the know, or with the intelligence of the average house pet, it should be immediately obvious that this was an April Fool’s joke. Funny, and it’s been a continuing joke through out the community, but apparently someone took it seriously enough to actually include it in a job description recently on Craigslist. And strangely enough, the link I had now leads to the scam page on Craigslist. Luckily I had the foresight to grab a copy of the post before it disappeared. What were these people thinking? Don’t they know they’re supposed to save this sort of stuff for the beginning of April? The full job description after the page break.

We have an immediate opening for a junior application security specialist (ASS) to join our growing consulting company. This permanent, full-time position is a great opportunity for someone with strong web application development skills that would like to move into the interesting and fun field of application security. This is a highly technical hands-on role that will utilize your web application development skills but involves little coding.

We will provide the right candidate with on-the-job training. The goal will be to quickly teach you how to perform detailed web application security assessments (black-box) and penetration tests by pairing you up with seasoned consultants. We have plenty of interesting projects to work on, including a wide variety of web applications (financial, e-commerce, gaming, etc.) and web services. Longer-term, we will train you to perform security code reviews.

This is an opportunity for a team player who would like to move into a new and exciting field, is ready to get started quickly, and is eager to learn some new skills and have fun while doing so.

We have an immediate opening for a junior application security specialist (ASS) to join our growing consulting company. This permanent, full-time position is a great opportunity for someone with strong web application development skills that would like to move into the interesting and fun field of application security. This is a highly technical hands-on role that will utilize your web application development skills but involves little coding.

We will provide the right candidate with on-the-job training. The goal will be to quickly teach you how to perform detailed web application security assessments (black-box) and penetration tests by pairing you up with seasoned consultants. We have plenty of interesting projects to work on, including a wide variety of web applications (financial, e-commerce, gaming, etc.) and web services. Longer-term, we will train you to perform security code reviews.

This is an opportunity for a team player who would like to move into a new and exciting field, is ready to get started quickly, and is eager to learn some new skills and have fun while doing so.

Primary Job Duties
• Conducting web application security assessments and penetration tests. These are very systematic assessments which are done using our proprietary methodology, which we will train you on. The assessments involve manual testing and analysis as well as the use of automated web application vulnerability scanning/testing tools.
• Performing source code reviews using automated tools such as Fortify or AppScan Source Edition (Ounce) and/or manual analysis.
• Writing a formal security assessment report for each application, using our company’s standard reporting format.
• Participating in conference calls with clients to review your assessment results and consult with the clients on remediation options.
• Retesting security vulnerabilities that have been fixed and republishing your report to indicate the results of your retesting.
• Participating in conference calls with potential clients to scope out newly requested security projects and estimate the amount of time required to complete the project.

Work Location
Our company is headquartered in San Jose, California. The majority of work will either be done from either our corporate office or will involve driving to client locations throughout the Bay Area. Some of the work will involve travel.

Technical Skills
• Several years of experience developing web applications, preferably hard-core financial, e-commerce, or business applications that face the Internet. (required)
• Knowledge of the HTTP protocol and how it works.
• Experience performing web application security testing and using vulnerability testing tools. (preferred, but we will train the right person)
• Experience with web application firewalls (preferred, but we will train the right candidate)
• Experience with network-level penetration testing (nice to have, but not necessary)

Soft Skills
• Solid written and verbal communication skills.
• Willingness to do hands-on, highly technical work.
• Strong customer focus. The goal should be to make customers happy enough that they ask for you to be sent back to do more work for them.
• Desire to learn new things and become a participant in the local information security community.
• Honesty and integrity.

Other Requirements
• Must undergo criminal background check and drug testing.
• Flexibility to work odd hours at times. For the most part this is a Monday-Friday 8:00 to 5:00 job, but sometimes customers require us to do certain work during weekends or off-hours.

Job Benefits
• Competitive salary including performance incentives
• Reasonable work hours compared with most information consulting firms. We expect employees to work hard and produce results, but we also understand that our employees have a life outside of work and are not a 60 hour per week body shop.
• Company sponsored medical and dental insurance
• Company sponsored training programs and career growth opportunities
• Company sponsored industry certifications necessary for your position (such as CISSP, CEH, etc.).
• You’ll be part of a closely-knit team of dedicated employees.
• Your choice of beer (at the end of the workday)

If you think you’re the right person for this challenging and fun career opportunity, please reply with your resume.

Sneakynet

2010-10-02T01:59:00.000+07:00

This pilot fish at the client site Contractor--and, as usual, he and his cohorts are concerned with, initially, when they were purchased.

"Network going crazy," fish reports."It was a great site with lots of routers and subnets are carefully separated. something to extend this big time, and sniffers told us that we are seeing" pollution "between subnets.

Fish and his team eventually to pin down where pollution is in two subnets on the adjacent wings of corporate development for the Legal Department and software development.

So fish and his team want to walk the floor, to see if they can spot anything unusual.

First everything looks normal.But then someone on the team sees an Ethernet cable, snaking around the hallway.

The cable is connected to two networks on the wall and it does not belong to a group of fishes.

"We are digging a bit," said the fish."It turns out that the law has been blocked from public Internet access; development; Some vivid characters in legal figured if it is connected to a cable connector development around the corner, they went out to the Internet without filters.

"I never learned, but I really hope that he got fired.

Sharky doesn't want to get you fired, so I am going to leave all the marks from your true story about the life on IT send me sharky@computerworld.com. you get stylish shark shirt, if used. Add your comment below, and read some very old tales in Sharkives.

Nokia's death march

2010-10-01T18:27:00.000+07:00

From Richi Jennings. 13 September 2010.
(NOK)

If you thought Nokia in deep trouble, I think you would be right ... To trouble: lacks leadership, poor platforms, bumpy phones. Let's take a look at the challenges of the future in big ...

Lack of leadership
The current CEO, Olli Pekka Kallasvuo, "outta here" tattooed on his forehead. It shall be replaced by Stephen Elop. Despite the fact that it is good for Nokia is assigned to an outsider, Elop has some major culture shock.Leading Finnish company is a very different kettle of fish with his previous experience with Microsoft, Juniper and Adobe.

In the meantime, Anssi Vanjoki---Nokia honcho for smartphones--also quit. I w mill said he was not a happy Bunny, when he heard that he wasn't getting Olli Pekka corner office.

So Nokia faces vacuum critical stages Nokia World, its premiere client events as I write, website maintains that Vanjoki is speaking at the event tomorrow. Amazing; I dare say there are some frantic scrambling going on behind the scenes.

Poor platforms
Ignoring all the features of Nokia platforms, platform software for charities, it's a bit of a mess.

Who really thinks Symbian continues to have the opportunity to challenge the iOS and Android?Nokia will make a lot of noise this week about the new version, Symbian ^ 3, but it's just a stop gap until ^ 4 ready next year.

Symbian ^ 4 looks very much like it's too little, too late.I also can't help but think that moving the Qt user interface as the proverbial lipstick on a pig.

And then we have MeeGo, which, of course, the successor to the hideous Maemo. first, we saw that on a Nokia 770 awful and mostly pointless: ' nuff said.

Sharp phones
And last but not least where device for smart phones such as iPhone 4, Droid, the Evo X and S Galaxy?-not to mention the tablets from Apple, Dell, and millions of Chinese manufacturers.

Nokia N8 too little, too late, he's going to be too slow for Smartphone premium and seems to lack any expanded distribution by establishing carrier relationships for the US market--not subsidized prices low header.

It's curtains for Nokia?
This isn't really a story, that's for sure. When can be seen even Gartner inscription on the wall, you know something smells in Espoo.

How do you think?, leave a comment below ...

You can also read Richi full profile and disclosure ownership industry.

You are welcome

2010-10-01T10:44:00.001+07:00

These are just a few years ago, and this pilot fish is part of a small corporate IT staff for the engineering firm.

"Part of our work was a general user support for sales and marketing staff, most of which were published for laptops, said the fish."Of course, there is no training on how to use them.

"So one Sunday morning around 8 o'clock in the morning, I get a phone call at home from one of our guru, Senior Vice President of sales he was sitting in a hotel room a good distance tries to access their e-mail. nothing worked and he needs help now--it doesn't matter that we don't have support from home or work overtime.

However, Vice President doesn't want to hear it, so the fish starts to troubleshoot and soon determines that the Vice President is digital phones and laptop has an analog modem.

Fish runs, which involves obtaining Hotel engineer to work some magic with an adaptor, but at the same time, Vice President starts complaining about something new: all noise in the background on the fish at the end of the line.

It seems like fish daughter awake and watching cartoons on television.

Fish ' Vice President told me that my daughter to abandon or switch off the TV, it was evident that distracting me solve it problems! "says. "And I've had a lot of nerve (Sunday morning) letting TV get turned on when I should work on the problem. "

Next week, fish is called in the Office of his boss.It seems, Vice President, upset that he had to go home telephone number of the fish.He's a upset that the hotel system is incompatible with the modem.And it will upset of three summer entertainments Sunday morning.

Vice President wrote to the fish and wants him fired.

Fish is also in hot water with his boss to answer the call with the Vice President, and then try to solve the problem.

"I acknowledge that I have been a stymied because the Vice President will be equally upset if I refused to help him," said the fish.

«Result? Vice President said that in the future, it was not to call home. my next review performance told me that I was a little too helpful and as soon as it became available in the area, I got the caller! "

What network?

2010-09-26T12:31:00.001+07:00

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Quote: Power networking involves the development of a team of powerful, proactive referral partners capable of producing a steady flow of referrals for your business.
In this chapter:
o Examples of power networking
o Defining networking
o 7 Myths and truths about networking
Before we talk about networking, let's take a look at some examples of the results that some have achieved by applying the principles of effective networking. The examples we cite are mostly from Local Business Network simply because these are the individuals with whom we have worked and whose stories we know. In most cases, you can replace LBN with the words "structured networking organization".
We share these stories to help you understand how truly powerful networking can be for anyone who is willing to learn the principles of power networking and to apply them consistently. Many who do so achieve rewards totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars. For many, business from referral partners account for 25% to as much as 90% of their sales. We hope these examples will encourage you to read further and to consider seriously the principles we teach.
Website Design Firm Finds Structured Networking its Most Powerful Business Growth Tool
Steve Hyer started IGD Solutions, a website development firm, in 1999. In 2000, he joined Local Business Network, a structured business referral organization. Steve was not only new to business, but new to networking.
For the ensuing three years, LBN referrals accounted for an average of 38% of his business. In real dollars, that amounts to six figures each year. Forming strategic and referral partner relationships with members of his own chapter and with those in other chapters helped Steve create a continuous referral stream and thus a continuous stream of new leads and new clients. Steve found the regional mixers particularly helpful in finding and developing referral partner relationships with those in the technology field.
Steve writes that, "LBN is the single most effective method we have used to promote our business. The structure of meeting twice a month and really focusing on sharing referrals makes it extremely effective."
From Corporate Cast Off To Successful Business Owner In 1 Year
Mark Raymond was laid off abruptly from his information technology job when his company was bought out. The IT market was slow and Mark knew he needed to find additional sources of income. He knew it takes time to grow any business.
Mark had an entrepreneurial background. He had owned a number of different businesses before, ranging from working as a disc jockey, to being a truck driver, to operating as a multi-media expert with auto shows. Fortunately, he had built a successful real estate rental business and owned more than ten properties. Still he needed to replace his IT income.
Mark joined Pre-Paid Legal Services as an Independent Associate. He focused on the sales aspect instead of building a team, but needed prospects and referral partners. His target markets were companies and small business owners, but he did not know where to start.
His wife, Tricia Raymond, a real estate agent, already belonged to a Local Business Network and she encouraged him to use the networking to promote his business. Mark only knows one way to go - full speed ahead. He became the President of his LBN chapter and aggressively built referral relationships.
Within one year of joining LBN, he sold over 400 Pre-Paid Legal memberships. Nearly half, 180 memberships, came directly or indirectly from LBN. Today he has a rapidly growing nationwide network of business associates helping to grow his business.
Sales Agent for a Title Insurance Company Receives over 60% of Her Business Through Networking Group Referrals
Sandra Maurer enjoyed networking, but didn't realize how powerful it could be when she joined the Birmingham, MI chapter of Local Business Network. Her sales were strongly dependent on relationships with mortgage lenders, attorneys and real estate agents.
Sandra began visiting as many LBN chapters as she could to meet key referral partners and build relationships. She attended every regional mixer to meet other members and build more relationships. She became an extraordinary referral generator, giving as many as 50 or more referrals every month.
Within two years, the relationships she had built within LBN were generating over 60% of her income. When she changed jobs, she took those relationships with her and had an immediate sales base even though she was selling different products and services.
Accountant Gives and Receives Over $100,000 in Referrals Annually
Norm McKee is an accountant and business consultant. During his first year in LBN, referrals from LBN members accounted for about 25% of his business. The second year it grew to 40%. Partnering with other LBN professionals, he also began an employee benefits firm with the potential to generate even more profit than his already highly lucrative accounting practice.
Norm receives eight to ten new client referrals a month from his referral partners. He receives over $100,000 in referrals annually and gives at least that amount to his referral partners.
Norm says, "We selected LBN as our networking group because of the structured/instructional based program offered, providing all members with basic direction over their networking activities. We found LBN members to understand the importance of relationship marketing and how to utilize relationships to create a marketing avenue for their businesses.
Residential Cleaning and Janitorial Service Reports 90% of Sales Come From LBN Members or Their Referrals
Mary Youtz was downsized by a major software development firm. She had worked in the accounting department in a thankless job for a thankless boss. After being let go, she and her husband started their own business and elected to use networking as their primary means of promoting it.
After six months, the firm was in the black and 90% of sales had come through members of her Local Business Network. Mary immediately recognized the value of visiting as many chapters as possible and became a regular visitor to half-a-dozen chapters in communities near her place of business. She attended every regional networking event and built relationships with those in a position to send her referrals. She brought referrals to every meeting she attended.
Mary also grew personally. She had never been required to speak in public and initially expressed concerns about having to do a sixty second commercial at her local chapter meeting. She quickly outgrew her fear and even became a speaker at regional networking events. Her friends saw an extraordinary transformation in her self-confidence and demeanor. She recently took on a role as an officer in her local chapter.
And there are hundreds of additional stories but we don't have time to tell them all. Here are some quick recaps of a few more.
o Jim Motley started a new computer repair business with $250,000 in sales his first year largely through referrals; doubled his business the second year; then doubled it again the third year.
o Jeannie Kime, a marketer of promotional items spent two years in another networking organization before joining LBN without much success, then tripled her business in her first year in LBN.
o John Gentilia of Perfect View Blinds reported 35% of his business from LBN referrals his first year, growing to 40% his second year.
o Doris Benson of Comfort Zone Heating and Cooling developed 100 new customers in her first six months in LBN.
o Ed Koerner, a mortgage lender, got 36 referrals in his first six months in LBN.
o Brian Jenks, a commercial lender, received referrals for real estate financing for projects of $12 million and $5 million.
o Sharon Quarters, a Realtor, received leads totaling over $2 million in her first three weeks in LBN.
o Attorney, Brian Rolfe got a lead for a $50,000 client within a few weeks after joining LBN.
o Julie Greene, a financial planner, reported commissions of $20,000 on leads from her LBN group and expectations that that number would double the next year.
We could go on forever with stories of these types, but the important thing to understand is that the principles of power networking work for any legitimate business person, representing a valid product or service that is being marketed to the general public or to other businesses. The question is not whether the system works, but rather whether you are willing to learn and to apply the principles of power networking.
What is Power Networking? Webster's Dictionary defines networking as, "the developing of contacts or the exchanging of information in an informal network as to further a career." In its broadest sense, practically any type of social interaction could be considered networking. Most business people are familiar with the informal networking that occurs in Chambers of Commerce and other business organizations. But in a business environment where increased sales are the ultimate objective and "time is money", informal and unfocused networking is inadequate. It is necessary to move to the description and definition of a more formal and focused type of networking.
Development of Win-win Relationships - In his book, Endless Referrals, Bob Burg defines networking as, "the development of mutually beneficial win-win relationships." Bob says that, "all things being equal, people will do business with and refer people to those they know, like and trust." Networking therefore is about developing relationships with others who will do business with you and will send referrals to you because they know, like and trust you. Bob's goal is to transform networking from an "informal process" to a "formal" process focused on generating referrals that result in sales and increased income.
Note that there is a requirement that the individual giving you the referral first know, like and trust you. It is necessary for you to allow others to get to know you, and they must like what they see and have trust in you before they will send you referrals. When building a referral network it is necessary for you to develop relationships of trust.
Selling Through Networking Partners - Power networking involves selling "through" those who are your networking partners not "to" them. There are two components of the business you derive from networking as Mr. Burg describes it, business from those you know and business from those they know. The latter is far more critical than the former, because the potential represented is hundreds of times greater - assuming every business person knows literally hundreds of people. The ultimate objective of formalized networking is not to sell "to" those who know, like and trust you, but rather to sell "through" them to the hundreds of people they know.
Power networking is therefore selling to people you don't know with the help and cooperation of those you do know. It is "collaborative marketing" predicated on the assumptions that:
1. With minimal proper training you and a partner can effectively prospect for each other, and that
2. It is easier for each of you to prospect for the other within your sphere of influence than it is for the other person to prospect with those same individuals.
This definition points out another critical aspect of formal business networking. You must train others to promote your business for you. Clearly, however, in order to train others to promote your business, you must first understand how to promote it yourself. Effective networkers must not only understand who their prospects are and how to promote to them, but must also be adept at teaching others how to identify prospects for their products or services and how to create the opportunity to make a presentation to those prospects.
Referral Partners - But why would this person, your friend who is generating referrals for you, want to work so hard to promote your business to others? What is in it for him or her? Obviously, he/she expects something in return and although that reward could take any form, the ideal form of remuneration is the referral of someone who could use his/her products or services. This reciprocity must exist in order for formal networking relationships to endure. And this concept of reciprocity leads us to yet another definition of focused business networking: it is the creation of personal wealth through the capture and exchange of referrals. If you want to receive referrals from others, you must be willing and able to give referrals in exchange for those you receive. If you do not give in return, the relationship will not endure and you will no longer receive referrals.
We refer to these special types of relationships where referrals are exchanged on a regular and ongoing basis as "referral partner relationships". They are the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, the mother lode! One such relationship can result in hundreds and even hundreds of thousands of dollars of referrals. The majority of your business networking efforts should be focused on finding and developing these relationships. Several such relationships can result in a flow of referrals sufficient to satisfy your needs for the lifetime of your business.
Strategic Partners - Closely allied to the "referral partner" concept is that of the "strategic partner". A "strategic partner" is an individual who offers a product or service complementary to your own and who is willing to work together with you to offer your products together or to collaborate on marketing efforts. By collaborating with a "strategic partner", you can broaden the range of products or services you are able to offer your clients, thereby increasing sales or broadening your customer base or, you can leverage marketing expense through joint marketing efforts, thereby reducing marketing costs or creating the opportunity for marketing efforts you might not otherwise be able to afford. Because they are dealing with the same or similar customers to your own, "strategic partners" can also be "referral partners".
Traditional Networking versus Power Networking - Traditional networking, a style of networking where you market yourself by allowing others to get to know you and hoping that at some point in time they will either use your products or services or will refer someone else to you, is being replaced by what can be called "power networking". Power networking is a style of networking where you market your business through the development of powerful, proactive partners who market your business for you in return for your help in promoting their businesses. Structured networking groups, both formal and informal organizations designed to teach referral based networking and to assist in the development of teams of referral partners, have sprung up to assist in this process. In this book, we will explore the nature of structured networking groups and their role in helping you apply the principles of power networking.
Myths and Truths about Networking
Myth #1: Networking is just belonging to a 'Good Old Boys Club' and is solely for the purpose of camaraderie and fellowship.
Truth: With proper training, networking can be focused to develop business relationships leading to significant referral business, rather than just meeting other people over a social lunch or at the bar during 'happy-hour'.
Myth #2: Networking is a waste of productive time.
Truth: Networking with the purpose of developing referral partner relationships can be far more productive than spending time selling. One effective referral partner can result in hundreds or even thousands of sales over the lifetime of the relationship.
Myth #3: Networking is only for aggressive, loud-talking salespeople.
Truth: In networking, aggressive, me-oriented people seldom succeed. They find it difficult to build respect and trust which are the underpinnings of any referral partner relationship.
Myth #4: Networking brings people together who are struggling and have no real influence in the marketplace.
Truth: Networking attracts both successful and experienced business owners and professionals, as well as relatively less experienced individuals. The important point to remember is that everybody has a database of contacts with whom you have interest in connecting.
Myth #5: Networking takes too much time with little or no result.
Truth: Networking is a highly leveraged activity as you meet a number of professionals in a very short time. Those you meet are attuned to the development of referral partner relationships. As illustrated earlier, the results can be extraordinary.
Myth #6: Networking is expensive.
Truth: Networking is one of the least expensive forms of marketing available. Local Business Network (LBN) charges around $30 per month for members. Many members can recoup their expense for an entire year with one good referral. For some, the benefit to cost ratio runs in the hundreds.
Myth #7: Networking is primarily for small, non-professional businesses.
Truth: Networking can benefit all types of businesses. Experienced professionals like accountants and attorneys, technology firms, small retailers, home based businesses and others are a few examples.
Key points:
To summarize what we have learned in Chapter One:
1. Focused business networking involves the development of mutually beneficial win-win relationships called "referral partner relationships".
2. These relationships are built on trust and involve collaborative marketing to those within each other's sphere of influence.
3. To be effective, they require education and training on how to recognize prospects and generate referrals.
4. Referral partner relationships must be balanced and require both parties to consistently generate and exchange referrals.
5. Strategic partners are individuals who offer complementary products or services to customers similar to those you serve. Collaboration with them can broaden your product offerings, expand your markets, and create opportunities to leverage marketing expense.
6. Power networking refers to the marketing of your business through powerful proactive "referral" and "strategic" partner relationships.
7. Structured networking groups are designed to help you develop these partnering relationships.
Action Plan:
1. Read Bob Burg's book Endless Referrals.
2. Take a look at your current business situation. Can networking help you?
3. Are you ready to commit to networking as another way to grow your business?
4. If you are already using networking, are you satisfied with your results? If not, continue reading with a commitment to master networking.
Would you like to see Chapter 2? For a free copy of the next chapter, visit http://www.networkto100000.com

How to be truly successful in network

2010-09-26T07:58:00.001+07:00

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Networking and work-of-mouth marketing has become an essential business skill. We tend to intuitively realize this. However, how well do we do it? Do we set goals and objectives like we do for other business projects and marketing initiatives? When I speak with other business professionals I find that most fully realize the value and power of networking but that they often have a hap hazard approach to networking. Here are some thoughts and advice on how to be spectacularly effective as a networking professional.
Image that you are getting spectacular networking results.
What would that mean? What goals would you have achieved? Who would you be networking with? What problems would these spectacular networking results be solving? These are important questions and your networking activity should be based on the answers to these questions.
Have you ever gone to a networking event and mingled around a bit, talked to a few people and then left? These results were certainly less than spectacular. Have you left without any appointments? Have you left after getting only a few business cards from people to follow up with or perhaps even none? Have you left without even the thought of following up with anyone? If so then you have wasted your time attending the event.
I suggest an approach at a networking event that is virtually guaranteed to boost up your networking to the spectacular level.
Here is what I suggest:
Don't even think about trying to sell at a networking event. Focus on building your network. Focus on helping others to build their network or to help others reach people that could use their product or service. In short, help others. If you try to sell at the event then you a playing a hit or miss game. If people do not need or want what you are selling you have no chance to make a sale and if you continue to try then you will only turn people off and they will close up to you. This is the last thing you want to have happen. It is a rare networking event that gives to the opportunity to sell and I hope that this is not news to you.
Imagine changing your thoughts about networking into ones of building your network rather than ones where you try to make a sale. What would happen if you changed your approach in networking from "selling", to getting to know as many people as possible, and then getting them to introduce you to someone who can use your product?
People usually respond well to anyone who will help them achieve what they want. So, shouldn't you be trying to find out how you can help as many people as possible? Become their referral source. If you help them they will respond in kind by helping you reach more people. Learn how to help the people you meet.
Once you have replaced the "selling" attitude with the "helping" attitude. You are ready to move onto the next phase. This is where things can really get interesting. Now it is time to focus on networking with right people. For spectacular results you need to be networking with the right people.
What are the characteristics of the right people - the right people for you?
o Network with people that think like you do. They are not there to sell but rather to help others and to expand their network.
o Network with people that are good at helping others.
o Network with people that know the people you want to do business with.
o Get together with people that know lots of other people. For example business leaders usually know lots of other people and they know other business leaders.
Where do you find these people?
o Choose events where networking is not only expected but encouraged.
o Join a networking group. One such group is BNI. BNI is a formalized networking organization and the focus is to not sell to the group but rather to increase a member's network and to generate sales outside of the group.
o Attend networking events where everyone is not trying to sell to everyone else.
o At an event observe people that appear to know many other people. These people have dedicated significant time to building their network. They can be extremely helpful once you get to know them.
o If an event has a host or people to help with introductions then ask to be introduced to the people you want to meet. Remember that you want to meet people that can help you build your network. You want to meet with people that you can help by expanding their network.
o Always be on the lookout for "Power Networkers". Power Networkers are the people with all the right characteristics.
How do you meet these people?
o Building a network is the same as building a relationship. Always keep this in mind.
o Ask to be introduced and then make a genuine effort to learn about the other person. If you cannot be introduced then introduce yourself. Always be genuine and learn about the other person.
o Make arrangements to meet again to find out how you can help that person with network building. As long as you remain on target about helping the other person you soon enough will be asked how you can be helped with referrals for business or to expand your network. This activity powers up this relationship and it benefits both parties.
o Set goals for a networking event. For example, have a goal to meet 10 people and come away with two follow-up lunches or two follow-up meetings.
o Do not be too quick to offer referrals. Protect your contacts and only refer when you know more about the people you have just met. This is why a follow up meeting is so important. Show an interest in learning more about the other person, the products and services and their ideal clients.
o Offer to meet on a specific problem they may have mentioned to you. Again, if you approach this with the intent to help the post-event meetings will be easier to arrange.
Some Ideas on How to Maintain Your Network
Set up a way to stay in touch.
o Use e-mail to send ideas and additional networking thoughts and tips.
o If you publish a newsletter then put your new contacts on your distribution list after asking their permission.
o Once you get to know them better send a note or card on their birthday. Birthdays are often ignored and you can stand out by being the one that has remembered. Also note that people are flooded with Christmas and Holiday cards. It is harder to stand out from the rest by sending a card during the holidays.
o If you find an interesting article cut it out and send it with a short note. This simple act goes a long way.
o For people that you want to get to know better invite them out to lunch.
o Invite them to networking events and ask them to invite you to networking events. At these events help them with introductions and they will help you when you go to their events.
Final Comments
Business building activities take time and attention. Building relationships does not happen over night and with no activity. You get from a relationship what you put into it. What levels do you need to achieve? My studies indicate that in order to have a nice network operating for you that you will need somewhere between 80 and 120 people that you maintain regular contact with. At this level this channel will be a major part of your marketing. You will be able to count on it for significant business.
The bigger your network the more it will perform for you and if you will be able to maintain proper contact with 300 or 400 people then I suggest that your will not have to do any other marketing as your network will be big enough to provide you will all the business you can handle.
So stop selling at networking events, and start building your network. Go to networking events most conducive to network building (rather than selling events).
Set specific goals for networking events relative to people to meet, types of people to meet and follow-up meetings made.

Network-4 step your network plan

2010-09-26T02:37:00.001+07:00

Ing network is one of the most important skills that you'll never know. I think the question is "what is ing network?" indeed network ing is designing or building a relationship with people who you don't know. Art network ing is developing its own network, which is simply a group of people, where you can share your ideas, information, resources, plus you can enter your network to each Member of your network towards a common goal.
In the book, think and grow rich Napoleon Hill talks about creating your network your mastermind group, which is simply exquisite network which will help you in your quest obscene wealth and success: there are many examples of people in the book of think and grow rich, built their own network s to help them succeed.
In this chapter, desires, Napoleon Hill said as Edwin With Barnes was a desire to become a business partner of Thomas Edison.It reached its goal by creating network that helped him get to the point where he was treated and become a partner of Thomas Edison.
Knowing where and how to build network is challenging below I put the four main stages, as part of your network ing plan.
Step 1.Define your desires
Napoleon Hill has taught us to think and grow rich, that you can be reached only what you really want to, and this also applies to network ing. What is your desire to build your network and people in your network?
For example your wishes your network could network business associates, such as might be the Builder and your network you want to build may include painters, decorators, architects, loan officers, etc.Wish your network can bring your business into 60% network.
Essentially what you should do when you start to build network is to determine what you wish your network will make sure your desires at the top of the page, so you can easily visualize, what is your desire.
Step 2: set your goals
After you clear the desire, your next step is to determine the purpose, desire. Previously, I've given you an example network you might desire as a builder. Desire builders network was among artists, decorators, architects, specialists in credit network.For more information, see the four step process, you must define specific goals.
Chapter Napoleon hills Autosuggestion, he argues that for you for your desire to be something that you can see how the material will be just having rich will never allow you to achieve anything but having a desire to make $ 400000 money are real desires and goals, you can achieve. The same applies to network ing.
If you build your network, you must declare your goals specifically what artists, decorators and architects, you want to be separate from your network. you must write these measurable targets, because these are the people you want to build your plan around to reach your network.
Step 3.Develop your plan
The third step in your network ing plan should work, how are you going to network with these people object. your plan includes a lot of research to find out where they spend their time and how you are going to meet them at network environment ing.
For example, your goal may be a member of the Rotary architect so your plan, you may find that you develop through your current network to join a group of Rotary, the architect of your goals is a member.In your plan, you can determine what will go to four meetings and introduce yourself four times before requesting a coffee with this person, or to respond to some other functions to get to know them better.
Before configuring these meetings in stone, you need to do some research on their business, but also the right questions to ask them, the key to the primary network er is to trust and believe that it is important to ask them about their business.It shouldn't be on your agenda to promote your business down their throats. you will find that after a period they naturally will ask you about yours, and if this happens, it's your turn to your business.
One of the other tasks that I recommend that you, as part of this move is in the delivery of your questions.I also recommend that you lock your questions into memory before meeting with people, the you must do this practice is to provide a natural rather than being staged delivery of your questions: I urge you to ask a colleague helps you master these issues and to practice as you deliver them to the function ing network.
Step 4: Implement your plan
Once you have developed its plan, the final step is to implement the plan and go out and start meeting people, you want to make a separate from your network.
The bottom line is network ing is an art form like any skill will take time, and why you should follow the four steps that elite swimmers don't win Olympic gold in the absence of a clear plan and lots of practice and network ing is to finish off, I want to see just the outline of the four steps in ing plan your network.
Step 1: Define your desires
Step 2: set your goals
Step 3: Develop your plan
Step 4: Implement your plan

Introduction to IP addresses and networks

2010-09-25T22:08:00.001+07:00

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NETWORKING BASICS
A network can be defined as the interconnection of autonomous computers linked together to facilitate communication while networking is the simple concept of connected computers.
Networks and networking have grown exponentially over the last 15years; they have evolved at light speed just to keep up with huge increases in basic critical user needs such as sharing data and printers, as well as more advanced demands such as video conferencing.
TYPES OF NETWORKS
LOCAL AREA NETWORK (LAN)
A LAN (Local Area Network) is a group of computers and network devices connected together, usually within the same building. A Local Area Network (LAN) is a high-speed communication system designed to link computers and other data processing devices together within a small geographical area, such as a workgroup, department, or building. Local Area Networks implement shared access technology. This means that all the devices attached to the LAN share a single communications medium, usually a coaxial, twisted pair or fibre optic cable.
METROPOLITAN AREA NETWORK (MAN)
Metropolitan area networks or MANs are large computer networks usually spanning a city or a town. They typically use wireless infrastructure or optical fibre connections to link their sites.
The IEEE 802-2001 standard describes a MAN as being: "A MAN is optimized for a larger geographical area than is a LAN, ranging from several blocks of buildings to entire cities. MANs can also depend on communications channels of moderate to high data rates. A MAN might be owned and operated by a single organization, but it usually will be used by many individuals and organizations. MANs might also be owned and operated as public utilities. They will often provide means for internetworking of local networks. Metropolitan area networks can span up to 50km."
WIDE AREA NETWORK (WAN)
Wide Area Network (WAN) is a computer network that covers a broad area. A WAN in compares to a MAN, is not restricted to a geographical location, although it might be restricted to a geographical locations, it might also be confined within the bounds of a state or country. A WAN connects several LANs, and may be limited to an enterprise (a corporation or organization) or accessible to the public.
The technology is high speed and relatively expensive. The INTERNET is an example of a worldwide public WAN.
NETWORKING DEVICES
ROUTERS
Routers are used to connect networks together and route packets of data from one network to another. Routers, by default break up a broadcast domain, which is the set of all devices on a network segment that hear all broadcasts sent on that segment.
Routers also break up collision domains. This is an Ethernet term used to describe a network scenario where one particular device sends a packet on a network segment, forcing every other device on that segment to pay attention to it. At the same time, a different device tries to transmit, leading to a collision, after which both devices must retransmit one at a time.
Routers run on the layer 3 of the OSI (Open System Interconnection) reference model.
SWITCHES
Switches are used for network segmentation based on the MAC addresses. Switches look at the incoming frame's hardware addresses before deciding to either forward the frame or drop it.
Switches break up collision domains but the hosts on the switch are still members of one big broadcast domain.
HUB
A hub is really a multiple port repeater. A repeater receives a digital signal and re-amplifies or regenerates that signal, and then forwards the digital signal out all active ports without looking at any data. An active hub does the same thing. This means all devices plugged into a hub are in the same collision domain as well as in the same broadcast domain, which means that devices share the same bandwidth. Hubs operate at the physical layer of the OSI model.
IP ADDRESSING
An IP address is a numeric identifier assigned to each machine on an IP network. It designates the specific location of a device on the network. An IP address is a software address and designed to allow host on one network to communicate with a host on a different network regardless of the type of LANs the hosts are participating in.
IP TERMINOLOGIES
Bit: A bit is one digit, either a 1 or a 0.
Byte: A byte is 7 or 8 bits, depending on whether parity is used.
Octet: An octet, made up of 8 bits is just an ordinary 8 bit binary number. In most cases byte and octet are completely interchangeable.
Network address: This is the designation used in routing to send packets to a remote network. For example 10.0.0.0, 172.16.0.0, and 192.168.10.0 are network addresses.
Broadcast address: The address used by applications and hosts to send information to all nodes on a network is called the broadcast address. Examples include 255.255.255.255 which is all networks, all nodes; 172.16.255.255, which is all subnets and hosts on network 172.16.0.0.
HEIRARCHICAL IP ADDRESSING SCHEME
An IP address consists of 32 bits of information (IPV4). IPV6, a new version of IP consists of 128 bits of information. The 32 bits IP is divided into four sections referred to as octet or bytes each containing 1 byte (8bits).
An IP address is depicted using any of these 3 methods.
Dotted decimal, as in 172.16.30.56
Binary, as in 10101100.00010000.00011110.00111000
Hexadecimal, as in AC.10.1E.38
All this examples represent the same IP address. But the most commonly used is the dotted decimal. The Windows Registry stores a machine's IP address in hex.
The 32 bit IP address is a structured or hierarchical address, as opposed to a flat non hierarchical address. Although either type of addressing scheme could have been used, hierarchical addressing was chosen for a good reason. The advantage of this scheme is that it can handle a large number of addresses, namely 4.3 billion (a 32 bit address space with two possible values for each position that is either 1 or 0 gives 237, or 4,294,967,296).
The disadvantage of the flat addressing scheme relates to routing. If every address were unique, all routers on the internet would need to store the address of each and every machine on the internet. This would make efficient routing impossible.
NETWORK ADDRESS RANGE
The network address uniquely identifies each network. Every machine on the same network shares that network address as part of its IP address. In the IP address of 172.16.30.56, 172.16 is the network address.
The node address is assigned to and uniquely identifies each machine on a network. This number can also be referred to as host address. In 172.16.30.56, 30.56 is the node address. Class A network is used when a small number of networks possessing a very large number of nodes are needed. Class C network is used when numerous networks with a small number of node is needed.
CLASS A ADDRESSES
The first bit of the first byte in a class A network address must always be off or 0. This means a class A address must be between 0 and 127, inclusive.
0xxxxxxx.hhhhhhhh.hhhhhhhh.hhhhhhhh
If we turn the other 7 bits all off and then turn them all on, we'll find the class A range of network addresses.
00000000 = 0
01111111 = 127
Class A format is network.node.node.node, so for example in the IP address 49.22.102.70, the 49 is the network address and 22.102.70 is the node address. Every machine on this particular network would have the distinctive network address of 49.
CLASS B ADDRESSES
The first bit of the first byte must always be turned on, but the second bit must always be turned off.
01xxxxxx.xxxxxxxx.hhhhhhhh.hhhhhhhh
If we can turn the first bit on and the second bit off and if the other 6 bits all off and then all on, we'll find the class B range of network addresses.
10000000 = 128
10111111 = 191
Class B format is network.network.node.node, so far in the IP address 132.163.40.57, the 132.163 is the network address and 40.57 is the node address.
CLASS C ADDRESSES
The first and second bit of the first byte must always be turned on, but the third bit can never be on.
110xxxxx.xxxxxxxx.xxxxxxxx.hhhhhhhh
If we turn the first and second bit on and the third bit off and then all other 5 bits all off and all on, we'll find the class C range of network address.
11000000 = 192
11011111 = 223
Class C format is network.network.network.node, for example in the IP address 195.166.231.75, the 195.166.231 is the network address and 75 is the node address.
CLASS D AND CLASS E ADDRESSES
The address between 224 and 255 are reserved for class D and E networks. Class D (224-239) is used for multicast addresses and class E (240-255) for scientific purposes.
PRIVATE IP ADDRESSES
Private IP addresses are those that can be used on a private network, but they're not routable through the internet. This is designed for the purpose of creating a measure of well-needed security, but it also conveniently saves valuable IP address space. If every host on every network had to have real routable IP addresses, we would have run out of IP addresses to hand out years ago.
Class A 10.0.0.0 through 10.255.255.255
Class B 172.16.0.0 through 172.31.255.255
Class C 192.168.0.0 through 192.168.255.255
TROUBLESHOOTING IP ADDRESSING
Here are the troubleshooting steps in resolving a problem on an IP network.
1. Open a DOS window and ping 127.0.0.1. This is the diagnostic or loopback address, and if you get a successful ping, your IP stack is considered to be initialized. If it fails, then you have an IP stack failure and need to reinstall TCP/IP on the host.
2. From the DOS window, ping the IP addresses of the local host. If that's successful, then your Network Interface Card (NIC) card is functioning. If it fails, then there is a problem with the NIC card. This doesn't mean that a cable is plugged into the NIC, only that the IP protocol stack on the host can communicate to the NIC.
3. From the DOS window, ping the default gateway. If the ping works, it means that the NIC is plugged into the network and can communicate on the local network. If it fails, then you have a local physical network problem that could be happening anywhere from the NIC to the gateway.
4. If steps 1 through 3 were successful, try to ping the remote server. If that works then you have IP communication between then local host and the remote server, you also know that the remote physical network is working.
5. If the user still can't communicate with the server after steps 1 through 4 were successful, then there's probably a resolution problem and there is need to check the Domain Name Server (DNS) settings.
NETWORK ADDRESS TRANSLATION
Network Address Translation (NAT) is used mainly to translate private inside addresses on a network to a global outside address. The main idea is to conserve internet global address space, but it also increases network security by hiding internal IP addresses from external networks.
TABLE 3: NAT ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES
ADVANTAGES
Conserves legally registered addresses.
Reduces address overlap occurrence.
Increases flexibility when connecting to internet.
Eliminates address renumbering as network changes.
Translation introduces switching path delays
DISADVANTAGES
Loss of end-to-end traceability
Certain applications will not function with NAT enabled.
TYPES OF NAT
Static NAT: This type of NAT is designed to allow one-to-one mapping between local and global addresses. Static NAT requires that there is one real internet IP address for every host on your network.
Dynamic NAT: This version gives one the ability to map an unregistered IP address to a registered IP address from out of a pool of registered IP addresses.
Overloading: This is also known as Port Address Translation (PAT). It is the most popular type of NAT configuration. Overloading is a form of dynamic NAT that maps multiple unregistered IP address to a single registered IP address by using different ports. With overloading thousands of users can connect to the internet using only one real global IP address.
NAT TERMINOLOGIES

Local addresses: Name of local hosts before translation.
Global addresses: Name of addresses after translation.
Inside local: Name of inside source address before translation.
Outside local: Name of destination host before translation.
Inside global: Name of inside hosts after translation
Outside global: Name of outside destination host after translation.
LAYER2 SWITCHING
Layer2 switching is the process of using the hardware address of devices on a LAN to segment a network. The term layer2 switching is used because switches operate on the data-link layer which is the second layer of the OSI reference model.
Layer2 switching is considered hardware-based bridging because it uses specialized hardware called an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC). ASICs can run up to gigabit speeds with very low latency rates.
Switches read each frame as it passes through the network, the layer2 device then puts the source hardware address in a filter table and keeps track of which port the frame was received on. The information (logged in the switch's filter table) is what helps the machine determine the location of a specific sending device. After a filter table is built on the layer2 device, it will only forward frames to the segment where the destination hardware is located. If the destination device is on the same segment as the frame, the layer2 device will block the frame from going to any other segments. If the destination is on a different segment, the frame can only be transmitted to that segment. This is called TRANSPARENT BRIDGING.
When a switch interface receives a frame with a destination hardware address that isn't found in the device filter table, it will forward the frame to all connected segments. If the unknown device that was sent the frame replies to this forwarding action, the switch updates its filter table regarding that device's location.
ADVANTAGES OF LAYER2 SWITCHING
The biggest benefit of LAN switching over hub-centred implementations is that each device on every segment plugged into a switch can transmit silmatenously whereas hubs only allow one device per network segment to communicate at a time.
Switches are faster than routers because they don't take time looking at the Network layer header information. Instead, they look at the frame's hardware address before deciding to either forward the frame or drop it.
Switches create private dedicated collision domains and provide independent bandwidth on each port unlike hubs. The figure below shows five hosts connected to a switch, all running 10Mbps half-duplex to the server. Unlike the hub, each host has 10Mbps dedicated communication to the server.
LIMITATIONS OF LAYER2 SWITCHING
Switched networks break up collision domains but the network is still one large broadcast domain. This does not only limits your network's size and growth potential, but can also reduce its overall performance.
FUNCTIONS OF LAYER2 SWITCHING
There are three distinct functions of layer2 switching, these are
Address learning.
Forward/filter decision
Loop avoidance.
ADDRESS LEARNING
When a switch is first powered on, the MAC forward/filter table is empty. When a device transmits and an interface receives the frame, the switch places the frame source address in the MAC forward/filter table, allowing it to remember which interface the sending device is located on. The switch then has no choice but to flood the network with this frame out of every port except the source port because it has no idea where the destination device is actually located.
If a device answers the flooded frame and sends a frame back, then the switch will take source address from that frame and place that MAC address in its database as well, associating this address with the interface that received the frame. Since the switch now has both of the relevant MAC addresses in its filtering table, the two devices can now make a point to point connection. The switch doesn't need to flood the frame as it did the first time.
If there is no communication to a particular address within a certain amount of time, the switch will flush the entry from the database to keep it as current as possible.
FORWARD/FILTER DECISIONS
When a frame arrives at a switch interface, the destination hardware address is compared to the forward/filter MAC database. If the destination hardware address is known and listed in the database, the frame is sent out only the correct exit interface.
The switch doesn't transmit the frame out any interface except for the destination interface. This preserves bandwidth on the other network segments and is called FRAME FILTERING.
LOOP AVOIDANCE
When two switches are connected together, redundant links between the switches are a good idea because they help prevent complete network failures in the event one link stops working.
Redundant links are extremely helpful but they often cause more problems than they solve, this is because frames can be flooded down all redundant links silmatenously creating network loops.
Switches use a protocol called STP (Spanning Tree Protocol) created by Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) now Compaq to avoid network loops by shutting down redundant links. With STP running, frames will be forwarded only on the premium STP-picked link.
CONFIGURING THE CISCO 2950 CATALYST SWITCH FAMILY.
The 2950 switch is one of the Cisco Catalyst switch family's high-end model. The 2950 comes in many flavours and run 10Mbps all the way up to 1Gbps switched ports with either twisted-pair or fibre. They can provide basic data, video and voice services.
2950 SWITCH STARTUP
When the 2950 switch is first powered on, it runs through a Power-on-Self-test (POST). At first all port LEDs are green, and if upon completion the post determines that all ports are in good shape, all the LEDs blink and then turn off. But if the POST finds a port that has failed both the system's LED and the port's LEDs turn amber.
However, unlike a router, the switch is actually usable in Fresh-out-of-the-box condition. You can just plug the switch into your network and connect network segment together without any configuration.
To connect to the Cisco switch, use a rolled Ethernet cable to connect a host to a switch console serial communication port. Once you have the correct cable connected from your PC to the Cisco switch, you can start HyperTerminal to create a console connection and configure the device as follows:
1. Open HyperTerminal by clicking on start button and then All programs, then Accessories, then Communication, then click on HyperTerminal. Enter a name for the connection. It is irrelevant what you name it. Then click OK.
2. Choose the communication port either COM1 or COM2, whichever is open on your PC.
3. Now at the port settings. The default values (2400bps and no flow control hardware) will not work, you must set the port settings as shown in the figure below.
Notice that the bit rate is set to 9600 and the flow control is set to none. At this point click OK and press the Enter key, and you should be connected to your Cisco switch console port.
Here's the 2950 switch's initial output:
--- System Configuration Dialog ---
Would you like to enter the initial configuration dialog? [Yes/no]: no
Press RETURN to get started!
00:04:53: %LINK-5-CHANGED: Interface Vlan1, changed state to administratively down
00:04:54: %LINEPROTO-5-UPDOWN: Line protocol on Interface Vlan1, changed state to down

Switch>
THE CONFIGURATION
The switch> prompt is called the user exec mode and it's mostly used to view statistics. You can only view and change configuration of a Cisco switch in privileged exec mode which you get into with the enable command.
Switch>
Switch> enable
Switch#
Switch# disable
Switch>
The global configuration mode can be entered from the privileged mode by using the configure terminal command or config t for short.

Switch# config t

Enter the configuration commands, one per line, End with CNTL/Z.

Switch(config)# hostname zenith

Zenith(config)#
The hostname command is used in naming the switch. The hostname of a switch is only locally significant but it's still helpful to set a hostname on a switch so that you can identify the switch when connecting to it.
SETTING THE ENABLE MODE PASSWORDS AND LINE PASSWORD.
Zenith> enable
Zenith# config t
Enter the configuration commands, one per line, End with CNTL/Z.
Zenith(config)# enable password bank
Zenith(config)# enable secret middle
The enable password bank command sets the enable password as bank and the enable secret middle command sets the enable secret password as middle. The enable secret password is more secure and it supersedes the enable password if it is set. The enable secret password and the enable password cannot be the same on the 2950 switch.
Zenith(config)# line ?
First line number
console Primary terminal line
vty Virtual terminal
Zenith(config)# line vty ?
First line number
Zenith(config)# line vty 0 15
Zenith(config-line)# login
Zenith(config-line)# password alex
Zenith(config-line)# line con 0
Zenith(config-line)# login
Zenith(config-line)# password malouda
Zenith(config-line)# exit
Zenith(config)# exit
Zenith#
The line vty 0 15, login and password alex commands set the telnet password to alex and the line con 0, login, and password malouda commands sets the console password to malouda.
SETTING IP INFORMATION
You don't have to set any IP configuration on the switch to make it work. You can just plug it in. But there are two reasons we set IP address information on the switch.
To manage the switch via Telnet or other management software.
To configure the switch with different VLANs and other network functions.
Zenith(config)# int vlan 1
Zenith(config-if)# ip address 172.16.10.17 255.255.255.0
Zenith(config-if)# no shutdown
Zenith(config-if)# exit
Zenith(config)# ip default-gateway 172.16.10.1
Zenith(config)#
The IP address is set to 172.16.10.17 and the no shutdown command must be applied to enable the interface.
CONFIGURING INTERFACE DESCRIPTIONS
You can administratively set a name for each interface on the switches with the description command.
Zenith(config)# int fastethernet 0/ ?
FastEthernet Interface number.
Zenith(config)# int fastethernet 0/1
Zenith(config-if)# description Sales LAN
Zenith(config-if)# int f0/12
Zenith(config-if)# description Connection to Mail server
Zenith(config-if)# CNTL/Z

Zenith#
You can look at the descriptions at any time with either the show interface command or the show running-config command from the global configuration mode.
ERASING AND SAVING THE SWITCH CONFIGURATION

Zenith# copy running-config startup-config

Zenith# erase startup-config
The first command copies the configuration into the NVRAM (Non-volatile RAM) while the erase startup-config command erases the switch configuration.
Zenith# erase startup-config
Erasing the nvram filesystem will remove all files! Continue? [confirm] [Enter]
[OK]
Erase of nvram: complete
Zenith#
VIRTUAL LAN (VLAN)
A Virtual LAN (VLAN) is a logical grouping of network users and resources connected to administratively defined ports on a switch. When one create VLANs, one creates smaller broadcast domains within a switched internetwork by assigning different ports on the switch to different subnetworks. A VLAN is treated like its own subnet or broadcast domain, which means that frames broadcast onto the network are only switched between ports logically grouped within the same VLAN.

By default, no hosts in a specific VLAN can communicate with any other hosts that are members of another VLAN.

5.1 ADVANTAGES OF VLAN
A group of users needing security can be put into a VLAN so that no user outside the VLAN can communicate with them.
As a logical grouping of users by function, VLANs can be considered independent from their physical or geographical locations.
VLANs can enhance network security.
It can block broadcast storms caused by a faulty NIC (Network Interface Card) card.
VLANs increase the number of broadcast domains while decreasing their sizes.
VLAN MEMBERSHIP
VLANs are usually created by the administrator, who then assigns switch ports to each VLAN. Such a VLAN is called a static VLAN. If the administrator wants to do a little more work up front and assign all the host devices hardware addresses into a database, then the switch can be configured to assign VLANs dynamically whenever a host is plugged into a switch. This is called dynamic VLAN.
STATIC VLANs
Static VLANs are the usual way of creating VLANs, and they're also the most secure. The switch port that you assign a VLAN association to always maintain that association until an administrator manually changes that port assignment.
DYNAMIC VLANs
A dynamic VLAN determines a node's VLAN assignment automatically. Using intelligent management software, you can base assignment on hardware addresses, protocols, or even applications to create dynamic VLANs.
An example is the VLAN Management Policy Server (VMPS) service used to set up a database of MAC addresses that can be used for dynamic addressing of VLANs. A VMPS database maps MAC addresses to VLANs.
FRAME TAGGING
As frames are switched through the network, switches must be able to keep track of all the frames. Frames are handled differently according to the type of link they are traversing. The frame identification method uniquely assigns user defined ID to each frame. This is sometimes referred to as the "VLAN ID".
Each switch that the frame reaches must first identify the VLAN ID from the frame tag, and then it finds out what to do with the frame by looking at the information in the filter table. If the frame reaches a switch that has another trunked link, the frame will be forwarded out the trunk-link port.
Once the frame reaches an exit to an access link matching the frame's VLAN ID, the switch removes the VLAN identifier. This is so the destination device can receive the frame without having to understand their VLAN identification.
There are two different types of links in a switched environment, they are:

Access links: This type of link is only part of one VLAN. Any device attached to an access link is unaware of a VLAN membership; the device just assumes its part of a broadcast domain. Access link devices cannot communicate with devices outside their VLAN unless the packet is routed.

Trunk links: Trunk links can carry multiple VLANs. A trunk link is a 100 or 1000Mbps point to point link between two switches, between a switch and server. These carry the traffic of multiple VLANs from 1 to 1005 at a time. Trunking allows you to make a single port part of multiple VLANS at the same time. It also allows VLANs to span across multiple switches.
VLAN IDENTIFICATION METHODS
There are basically two ways of frame tagging.
Inter-Switch Link (ISL)
IEEE 802.1Q
The main purpose of ISL and 802.1Q frame tagging methods is to provide interswitch VLAN communication.
Inter-switch Link (ISL) Protocol: This is proprietary to Cisco switches, and it is used for fast Ethernet and gigabit Ethernet links only. ISL routing can be used on a switch port, router interfaces and server interface cards to trunk a server.
IEEE 802.1Q: Created by the IEEE as a standard method of frame tagging, it isn't Cisco proprietary so if you're trunking between a Cisco switched link and a different brand of switch; you have to use 802.1Q for the trunk link to work.
VLAN TRUNKING PROTOCOL (VTP)
This protocol was created by Cisco but it is not proprietary. The basic goals of VLAN Trunking protocol (VTP) are to manage all configured VLANs across a switched internetwork and to maintain consistency through the network. VTP allows an administrator to add, delete and rename VLANs on a switch, information that is then propagated to all other switches in the VTP domain.
Before one can get VTP to manage VLANs across the network, one has to create a VTP server. All switches sharing the same VLAN information must be in the same VTP domain.
One can use a VTP domain if there is more than one switch connected in a network, but if all the switches are in only one VLAN, there is no need to use VTP. VTP information is set between switches via trunk port.

7 steps to wireless security

2010-09-25T16:10:00.001+07:00

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Wireless networks, often abbreviated to "Wi-Fi", allow PCs, laptops and other devices to "talk" to each other using a short-range radio signal. However, to make a secure wireless network you will have to make some changes to the way it works once it's switched on.
The signal of any short-range radio transmission can be picked up by any device in range that is tuned to the same frequency. This means that anyone with a wireless PC or laptop in range of your wireless network may be able to connect to it unless you take precautions.
If this happens then your network and PC are vulnerable to any or all of the following:
Freeloaders - Most wireless networks are used to share a broadband Internet connection. A "Freeloader" may connect to your network and use your broadband connection without your knowledge or permission. This could have an impact on your own use. You may notice your connection slows down as it shares the availability of the Internet with more users. Many home Internet services have limits to the amount of data you can download per month - a "Freeloader" could exceed this limit and you find your Internet bill charged for the extra amounts of data. More seriously, a "Freeloader" may use your Internet connection for some nuisance or illegal activity. The Police may trace the Internet connection used for such activity it would lead them straight back to you.
Eavesdropping - As information is transmitted an "eavesdropper" may connect to your wireless network and view all the information as it passes by. This is entirely undetectable by the user as the "Eavesdropper" is only listening not transmitting. Such sensitive information as bank account details, credit card numbers, usernames and passwords may be recorded.
Hacking - Even when the security features of a wireless network have been switched on unless these features are set-up correctly then anyone in range can hack in to the network. All home wireless network routers have a standard username and password for the administration of the network. All a hacker has to do is go through the list of standard usernames and passwords until he gains access. A hacker may then use your network for any of the above or gain access to your PC - your firewall may not prevent him because, as he is connected to your network, he is within the trusted zone.
Most wireless network equipment, when it comes out of the box, is not protected against these threats by default. This means you have to configure the network yourself to make it a secure wireless network.
How to secure a wireless network
Although all wireless equipment marked as 802.11 will have standard features such as encryption and access control each manufacturer has a different way it is controlled or accessed. This means that the advice that follows may seem a bit technical because we can only tell you what you have to do not how to do it. You should read the manual or help files that came with your equipment in order to see how to make a secure wireless network.
1. Use encryption. This is the bedrock of any secure wireless network and means that the data that passes over the wireless can only be decoded with the correct system of encryption and the correct password. Currently there are three methods of encryption for wireless networks usually referred to by their acronyms: WPA2, WPA-PSK and WEP. Each method can only be used if all the equipment on the network has the capability. As WPA2 is the most recent method of encryption, unless you have recently obtained the latest PCs, laptops & network device you probably will not be able to use it. WPA-PSK is the next best and is available on most hardware. If you are using older access points and network cards, you may find that you can only use WEP. Each method requires a "key" (a word or phrase used to make the encryption work). Make sure you use a word or phrase that would not be easily guessed. For example, don't use your address as the key.
2. Set up your network infrastructure as "access point" and not "ad-hoc" or "peer to peer". These last two (ad-hoc and peer-to-peer) mean that network devices such as PCs and laptops can connect directly with each other without going through an access point. You have more control over how devices connect if you set the infrastructure to "access point" and so will make for a more secure wireless network.
3. choose an obscure name for the network - This important tip to having a secure wireless network is probably not used by about 99% of home users. The technical term for the name of the wireless network is "SSID". The default SSID is usually the name and model of the wireless router or Internet provider e.g. NetgearDG834G or Sky9091. If you leave the SSID like this it makes hacking very easy so change the SSID as soon as you set up your network. Don't use your address, house name or family name these are too easy to guess.4. Switch off the SSID broadcast. This tip goes hand in hand with No3 in creating a secure wireless network. This means that anyone wishing to connect to your wireless network must know its SSID i.e. the name of the network.
5. Change the name and password of the administration user for the wireless router but don't forget to make a note of what you change it to. A secure wireless network will have an admin user ID that is difficult to guess and a strong password that uses letter and numbers.
6. Unplug the wireless router whenever you are going to be away from home (or the office). It's also a good idea to set the time that the network can be used if the device allows it. For example, in an office you may not want to unplug the wireless router at the end of every day so you could set it to only allow connections between the hours of 7:30 AM and 7:30 PM.
7. Use MAC filtering If your wireless router or access point allows it, MAC filtering easily adds one more layer to make your wireless network secure. Every network card (the device installed in PCs and laptops that connect it to a network) has its own unique code, called a "MAC address". In Windows XP you can see the MAC address by right-clicking on the network connection, choose "status" and then the "support" tab. In the support window click on "details". The code labeled "physical address" is the MAC code for that network connection device. Make sure it's the wireless network connection you select as the LAN connection will have a different MAC address. Most wireless routers or access points allow you to list the MAC codes that you wish to use the network. This means that you must grant permission to any PC or laptop that wants to connect to the network.
If you can put all seven of these tips in operation you will have a very secure wireless network.

Computer Network Management

2010-09-25T10:46:00.001+07:00

Today it is almost inconceivable for businesses do not have computers, whether it is a construction company or high technology firms. When a business has more than one computer, they almost always are linked together in a local network. These network s can be more or less developed and therefore more or less expensive.
Companies invest so much (in terms of money and time) in the local network s because there are many advantages that local network leads to business and how it is managed.
Some companies are using local network thus owes it always works.If network company, you will see all employees chatting away in the corridors, because they can't do their job.This means large losses for the company and it was stressed to all companies must consider their local network 's vital assets while avoiding downtime. This places huge demands on staff network keep such network s, works almost 100% of the time.
Advantages of computer management
One of the best aspects of installation and maintenance of the network is able to, they created to improve communication and collaboration between employees and customers.
Security: Security local network can help. Comprehensive security is advantageous because Central and secure data access strategy provides disaster recovery and all information is protected by designing and implementing security solutions network. On the other hand of interconnected computers on the local network s poses a security risk because it is so make technically possible for malicious users to access many machines in network.
Cost considerations: installing local network is rather costly project. Servers, cables, switches, routers and software can be expensive and should never be purchased without expert consultation. saving network, operation and a safe also requires a lot of resources and can be expensive.
Strangely enough local network could have several savings.Resource sharing eliminates the need to purchase equipment for everyone.More importantly, provide local network. data loss can cost your business is a lot of money, and in some cases, cause the business to complete the work as a whole. Computer management is regular backup data with regular quality reviews-practices that save companies huge amounts in the event of an accident.
NetworkComputer management: a preliminary analysis of stages
In the first stage managing computers network is to identify the source of the problem (preliminary study, which looks a bit different options may be useful here) and determine the specification of requirements that must be evaluated examples of various network operating systems, e-mail systems and other applications should also assess the choice of hardware components.At this stage usually is intended to establish that the system should do, not what it should do so.
Computer management network: design phase
The design Goal is to determine how requirements specifications must be met.The current approach for large and complex projects is to break them into smaller, more manageable subprojects.
Computer management network: implementation phase
This step includes the physical installation of the local network. Cables, install software and computers and other devices to put in place.
Computer management network: integration and test phase
At this stage commissioning network starts and procedures suited to users and service personnel should be validated systems, for example, to comply with the requirements laid down in the specification network and that it is stable enough to act as a central, it is in your organization.
Computer management network: operation and maintenance
Local network s have complex operating procedures; this is because there may be serious consequences if an error occurs, or unauthorized access to the many companies have employees devoted exclusively to the care and maintenance of computer network sec These systems administrators responsible for network, performance, reliability and security of hardware and software.
Computer management network: tools
Although your organization may have computer administrators on a site, they must also monitor network more than eight hours a day, in fact, some of the worst trouble arises from network s can occur at night when nobody used network. using the management tools the right computer network your organization can receive security knowing that problems will be provided to prevent and to take care of-and that administrator network can be notified at the time of notification, should anything go very wrong.