In reviewing my blog I see I promised an update on my progress with the Netgear ReadyNAS Duo. It's been several weeks now and the Duo has perform beyond my expectations. The system has performed flawlessly and even survived one power outage where it was able to shut itself down by monitoring the UPS attached to it. Impressive.
I have recently begun to use it's "web browser interface" features to allow friends and family members to download pictures and home movies.
I'd mark this down in the "win" column.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Home Network Security
I've had a recent run on home users who are asking for my help to secure their home networks. In this day and age that is actually much easier than at any time before. There are several things you can do, even if you consider yourself to be "technically challenged", to protect yourself and the users on your home network from harm.
The first line of defense is a good hardware firewall. I am still surprised when I find users connecting their PC directly to the cable or DSL modem provided by their ISP. There are several really good products available. I myself have always been a fan of Netgear products, not to say they're perfect. Linksys is also a good choice, as is Trendnet. I have not had a good track record with D-Link wireless firewalls. Not to say they are bad, rather they are more difficult to set up and maintain than other brands (IMHO). Linksys products can be modified with un-approved firmware from dd-wrt to allow the firewall to offer more advanced features unavailable under the standard Linksys firmware. Use of dd-wrt firmware should only be attempted by the experienced technician, however.
The second line of defense may come as a shock ... don't use the ISP's DNS settings. Instead I recommend using the free service OpenDNS (http://www.opendns.com/). By default it automatically protects you against most known spyware and virus worms. And if you take the time to set up an account and follow their posted instructions you can also use it as a way to prevent users on your network from accessing porn, illegal downloads, peer-to-peer sharing sites, etc. The thing I like about it the most is I make those changes in OpenDNS and they automatically extend to any and all "users" on my network, even if a friend brings a laptop onto my network. Check it out.
Lastly, I also do not recommend you use the ISP's e-mail service. I strongly advocate using Google's Gmail for 3 very important reasons. First, it's free. Second, Google recently purchased Postini arguably the number one anti-spam service on the internet. And all your Gmail is Postini filtered (for free). Lastly, Gmail has programs for many smartphones (such as BlackBerry and iPhone) to allow you to receive and send Gmail right on your smartphone (for free). Did I mention all this was free? Check it out.
From my experience, user's who adopt these 3 simple policies have a much more secure home network and find themselves free from many of the "risks" we read about in the press periodically. These steps are simple, easy to implement and help to make your home network a safe and secure place for your family to work and play.
Enjoy the future.
The first line of defense is a good hardware firewall. I am still surprised when I find users connecting their PC directly to the cable or DSL modem provided by their ISP. There are several really good products available. I myself have always been a fan of Netgear products, not to say they're perfect. Linksys is also a good choice, as is Trendnet. I have not had a good track record with D-Link wireless firewalls. Not to say they are bad, rather they are more difficult to set up and maintain than other brands (IMHO). Linksys products can be modified with un-approved firmware from dd-wrt to allow the firewall to offer more advanced features unavailable under the standard Linksys firmware. Use of dd-wrt firmware should only be attempted by the experienced technician, however.
The second line of defense may come as a shock ... don't use the ISP's DNS settings. Instead I recommend using the free service OpenDNS (http://www.opendns.com/). By default it automatically protects you against most known spyware and virus worms. And if you take the time to set up an account and follow their posted instructions you can also use it as a way to prevent users on your network from accessing porn, illegal downloads, peer-to-peer sharing sites, etc. The thing I like about it the most is I make those changes in OpenDNS and they automatically extend to any and all "users" on my network, even if a friend brings a laptop onto my network. Check it out.
Lastly, I also do not recommend you use the ISP's e-mail service. I strongly advocate using Google's Gmail for 3 very important reasons. First, it's free. Second, Google recently purchased Postini arguably the number one anti-spam service on the internet. And all your Gmail is Postini filtered (for free). Lastly, Gmail has programs for many smartphones (such as BlackBerry and iPhone) to allow you to receive and send Gmail right on your smartphone (for free). Did I mention all this was free? Check it out.
From my experience, user's who adopt these 3 simple policies have a much more secure home network and find themselves free from many of the "risks" we read about in the press periodically. These steps are simple, easy to implement and help to make your home network a safe and secure place for your family to work and play.
Enjoy the future.
Monday, June 1, 2009
College Preparations Begin
Wow. The last few weeks has been littered with graduation parties. I guess that's what happens when you have friends with kids, right? Thankfully we have a couple more years until our next one is ready for the jump to college (whew).
As some of you may know, I am a Microsoft Registered Partner. In that capacity I received notice of a deal for college students that is just too good to pass up. The Microsoft Office 2007 Ultimate Steal promotion, the details of which are at this URL:
http://www.microsoft.com/student/discounts/theultimatesteal-us/default.aspx
In a nutshell your college student can get Microsoft Office 2007 Ultimate for $60. Check the URL for details, limitations and restrictions. Enjoy the summer. ;-)
As some of you may know, I am a Microsoft Registered Partner. In that capacity I received notice of a deal for college students that is just too good to pass up. The Microsoft Office 2007 Ultimate Steal promotion, the details of which are at this URL:
http://www.microsoft.com/student/discounts/theultimatesteal-us/default.aspx
In a nutshell your college student can get Microsoft Office 2007 Ultimate for $60. Check the URL for details, limitations and restrictions. Enjoy the summer. ;-)
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