aMila oNlinE

Removing the complexity from information protection

2009-08-14T10:11:00.003+05:30

How encryption can add value to your business
The use of encryption is no longer optional for many organizations. Certain new regulations demand its use while others provide a safe harbor so that organizations do not have to notify individuals in the event of a security breach—provided data was encrypted. Even those organizations that are not subject to such regulation should consider the use of encryption as best practice for protecting data on portable devices.
 Security breaches are everyday news
Data is increasingly being lost through theft and carelessness. As mobile devices proliferate and become ever smaller, more powerful and functional, it is all too easy for such devices to go missing. This puts large amounts of potentially sensitive information at risk. Encryption, and specifically full-disk encryption, is coming into wider use as a security best practice
Software-based full-disk encryption and newer self-encrypting hard drives provide the highest level of protection by ensuring that no data can be retrieved by third parties from devices that have been lost. Encryption adds value to an organization by enabling the secure sharing of information
Data security technologies should not restrict access to useful information. Rather, the use of encryption allows authenticated users to more easily and securely share information and enables organizations to expand their mobile working practices in a secure manner. Organizations can use encryption to considerably reduce risk across their organization
By ensuring that encryption is always on, is transparent to the user and cannot be bypassed, the chance for human error is reduced considerably. For the best benefits, organizations should look for a product that integrates with all existing technologies in use, including security technologies such as threat management systems, all operating systems and all devices. Encryption can aid organizations in achieving their regulatory compliance objectives
Through the use of full-disk encryption, organizations can ensure that no information, such as file names remain in the clear, so saving the expense and possible embarrassment of having to notify individuals in case of the loss of personally identifiable information. The use of self-encrypting hard drives and trusted hardware devices that can be safely erased adds a further layer of protection and can reduce the cost of securely re purposing old devices for new uses. Productivity gains will be seen through ease of deployment, management and use
Provided the right solution is implemented, through centralized management capabilities, encryption software, cryptographic keys and security policies can be easily deployed and managed, freeing up IT resources for other tasks. Users will also benefit through robust self-service capabilities for provisioning encryption keys and resetting forgotten passwords.
Conclusions
The complexities and cost of using encryption systems have been reduced considerably through the provision of centralized management, making the use of encryption viable for organizations of all sizes. Whether centrally managed on-premise or through a hosted service provider, full-disk encryption systems can shield organizations from data loss and help them achieve their security objectives.

FOR MORE READ FULL ARTICLE

Getting Lucky on LinkedIn

2009-08-07T10:05:00.001+05:30

As unemployment rates rise over 9% and job search results are down, everyone and their mother’s managers are on LinkedIn trying to social network their way to a new career opportunity.

Except the rest of us think the site is like Facebook’s online schmooze fest and that jobs are going to clutter our home page as do mundane status updates, revealing photos, and odd quiz results. “Not so,” says Lindsey Pollak, LinkedIn Campus Spokesperson and author of Getting from College to Career. Pollak says, “The biggest mistake people make is that they join LinkedIn, and expect it to work for them like magic. It’s a tool and you have to work it to make it work for you.”

It’s true that LinkedIn is the staple for job search success today, but are you taking advantage of all its unique applications? Here are some ways to step up your networking game on LinkedIn, break through the resumes, and make some real connections that can potentially lead to your next gig.
Fill Out Your Profile 100%.

No one is making you fill out some long eHarmony profile, but you should fill out every field in your LinkedIn bio so it appears as though you are taking your job search seriously. People will be more likely to network and share opportunities with you if you have a full, rock star profile. People search for profiles by keywords, so make sure you list all the search terms that fit your desired job descriptions. Look at profiles of people who you have your ideal jobs and see what keywords they have posted on their profile.
Join Groups

There’s one little catch: You can’t send direct messages to people on LinkedIn who are not in your network, but you can contact them if you are in the same group. Again, search for people who have your ideal jobs and see what groups they have joined. College alumni groups are filled with excellent connections and exclusive job opportunities. Join those groups and contact people directly who are working at companies that interest you.
Get Personal

t’s easy to send out the generic invitation customized by LinkedIn, but good luck getting a response. The standard alert “I’d like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn” sounds as enticing as getting invited to an HR information session about life insurance. When you send out invitations to connect, make sure you write a personal note. Remind your connections how you met or recap your last conversation.
Read Those Updates

Make sure to read your LinkedIn weekly updates, which are opted in when you sign up. Reid Hoffman, LinkedIn founder, says one of his favorite uses of the site is to do “small goods” for people. Networking isn’t about the once in a while chat; instead, it’s about touching base throughout the year. Read your updates to find out what people are up to in your network. Make sure to respond to those updates with a personal note. Something like, “Congrats on your new job!” or “Congrats on leaving your new job!” The way to keep your networking manageable is to do little things to maintain your relationship, rather than reaching out once a year.
Get Searching

You will get better results researching people on LinkedIn over Google any work day. For example, if you want to work at Ralph Lauren, type the company name into LinkedIn’s search fields to find contacts who work there. Connect with employees through your connections or by joining their groups.
Get Set Up with a Job

Friends and contacts can’t help you if they don’t know that you are looking for a job. Put together a letter and explain what you are looking for in a new position and send it out to people in your network who might be able to hook you up. Share your work experience and list your best qualities and send it to former employers, co-workers, and good friends who are great connectors. Make sure you check off individual contacts so that your e-mail blast doesn’t hit the inbox of your current employer.

LinkedIn can be your ticket to a new opportunity if you do more than just sign up and log in. Sure, it’s not as festive as most social networking sites. No one will be sending you cakes, or trivia questions, but use its tools daily and leave the real partying for your new job celebration.

Microsoft Plans Motion Sensing Natal Technology for Windows System

2009-07-28T00:21:00.001+05:30

Nintendo Wii has been getting good traction and becomes the top selling gaming console in high end gaming market. With the popularity of its motion-based games targeted for whole family activities, now seems that other competitors are trying to learn from its success story. Similarly to Microsoft, the giant software company has just introduced a new Motion Sensing Natal Technology that can be incorporated in Windows PC to have the same control capability not only in gaming segments, but also could be extended to other usage model as well.

The main difference between the Natal and Wii technology is that Natal is claimed to be able to utilize any exact device, such as your golf, or tennis racquet for more real interactive gaming experience while Wii will have to stick back to its own replica remote control stick. Besides being used as gaming devices, the usage can also be extended to digital media home in controlling home theater system either to stream movie or run PC programs with only simple hand gestures. Not to be limited by personal use, the Natal technology could be deployed for enterprise environment too

It could be too early to judge if this is going to be another victory for Microsoft but final pricing will be the major determining factor. Anyway, we should expect this to reach consumer market at least one year from now.

Jade Property Suite 6 Real Estate Software Free Full Commercial Version Download

2009-07-27T23:49:00.003+05:30

Jade Property Suite 6 is probably one of the best real estate software available in the market which allows real estate property agents to easily keep track and manage their property listings with ability to automatically print real estate brochures or flyers, save to PDF format for easy sending by email, and create HTML files of complete property listings and publish it to Internet on hosted websites for online marketing of real estate, an essential step to bring in more clients – buyer and seller.

Jade Property Suite 6 saves all agency listings and contacts in a database that is easy to update, search, match, print, export and web publish. With a database, it has added advantage of can be used with a standalone local database or with a shared database in a multi-agent office.

Key Features of Jade Property Suite 6

* Web Publish real estate listings with a directory of categorized listings, a property search engine and property details pages with ability to select which properties to publish on web.
* Print real estate marketing materials or output to PDF with ready-made, editable full-color templates for generating flyers, brochures, catalogs, window cards, reports, letters and envelopes, or business cards and labels.
* Generate emails and send them with own favorite Windows email application.
* Export data to Excel or a text file and PDF.
* Match potential buyers to properties.
* Track the activity and progress of real estate sales.
* Ability to customize the templates, menus and filters.
* Support multiple agents share the same database.

http://www.jadetools.com/jps/download/jade.exe

Google helps you keep your Gmail account protected

2009-07-27T15:46:00.001+05:30

How Google helps me?
You just need to pay a litle atention to details. Just scroll down to bottom of any page from your Gmail account and click the Details link next to the Last account activity line. What you get on this link? Like Google says :

It's information we'd use to troubleshoot unauthorized account activity, and now it's available to you.

On this page you can find about conccurent sessions opened of your Gmail account. You have even an option to sign out from all other sessions opened of your account. This is not stoping here. Google give us access to some more information. The recent activity table present to you the last five activities with Access Type column showing how your account was accessed, like browser, POP3 or mobile access, an IP address column showing the IP address that have accessed your account and a Date/Time column showing you the time when your account was accessed.
If you think that you need a litle more information on this subject just click the Learn more link from the Details page.

Does 6figurejobs.com really work?

2009-07-27T15:18:00.002+05:30

ManiGear eX-L 18 (Claimed As World’s Most Powerful Gaming Notebook)

2009-07-27T09:25:00.002+05:30

The expert in building high performance custom computers for gaming, ManiGear Computer has announced its latest eX-L 18 notebook which claims to be the world’s most powerful gaming notebook.

The notebook has been enhanced with dual NVIDIA GeForce GTX 280 graphics with NVIDIA SLI technology for bringing the games and multimedia to life with brilliant 3D graphics and movies in 1080p HD resolution. NVIDIA GeForce GTX 280M GPUs are the fastest GeForce notebook GPUs ever.

“MainGear has equipped the eX-L 18 with the world’s fastest notebook graphics solution,” said by Rene Hass, General Manager of the notebook business unit at NVIDIA. “With NVIDIA GeForce GTX 280M GPUs, MainGear’s customers will experience breathtaking in gaming physics from titles such as Terminator Salvation or Darkest of Days and are ready for GPU computing applications such as Badaboom, vReveal and Arcsoft SimHD.”

Powered by Intel Core 2 mobile processor, the eX-L 18 notebook is also comes with up to three 2.5-inch SATA or SSD drives that configurable in RAID formations, supports eSATA, HDMI, USB 2.0 and FireWire. Besides, it also equipped with 3-megapixel video camera to provide high definition video conferencing.

With the increasing demand for mobile high performance computing solutions, we wanted to offer our customers with the most powerful gaming desktop replacement possible” said by Wallace Santos, CEO and Founder of MAINGEAR. “With the co-processing power of the Intel Core 2 CPU and dual NVIDIA GPUs, you’re able to get the same cutting edge technology available to desktop users in a balanced computing configuration that is ideal for today’s GPU computing environment.”

Bill Gates Message for the Year of English & IT in Sri Lanka

2009-07-21T09:48:00.001+05:30

Kingston's new DataTraveler® 300

2009-07-21T09:30:00.001+05:30

The famous thumb drive maker, Kingston Technology, has just created another new buzz in the industry by unveiling its new Data Traveler 300 which offers the world’s largest memory data storage capacity. The new Kingston Data Traveler 300 is able to deliver 256GB memory storage for high-end users who need huge mobile storage facility for particular reasons.

256 GB of data, allows you to store:

* 10 Blu-ray discs (~25 GB each)
* 54 DVD discs (~4.7 GB each)
* 365 CD discs (~700 MB each)

Fast transfer speeds of up to 20 MB/sec read and 10 MB/sec. write, reduce the transfer times and allow users to access their data directly from the drive, without stuttering movies or slow application response.

DataTraveler 300 is perfect for those looking for significant storage capacity and data protection in a lightweight, durable design. With a retractable USB connector and reinforced lanyard/ key-ring hole – it is built to withstand daily use. Enhanced for Windows Vista ReadyBoost, the DataTraveler 300 is ideal for home or business use.

DataTraveler 300 is backed by legendary Kingston reliability plus a five-year warranty and 24/7 tech support.

Features/Specifications:

* Capacity1 — 256 GB
* Speed 2 — Data transfer rates of up to 20MB/sec. read and 10MB/sec. write
* Safeguarded — includes Password Traveler security software for Windows
* Convenient — does not require Administrator rights to access the Privacy Zone
* Dimensions — 2.78" x 0.88" x 0.65" (70.68 mm x 22.37 mm x 16.45 mm)
* Operating Temperature — 32° to 140° F (0° to 60° C)
* Storage Temperature — -4° to 185° F (-20° to 85° C)
* Simple — just plug into a any 1.1 or 2.0 USB port
* Practical — durable, capless design
* Guaranteed — five-year warranty
* Enhanced — for Windows ReadyBoost™ on Vista-based systems 3
* Compatibility Table

How to Remove or Delete a Registry Key, Subkey and Values with .reg Registration Entries File

2009-07-21T09:28:00.000+05:30

Registry registration entries file, which ends in .reg file extension is an useful script that can automate import and merging of registry keys and value data inside the file to system registry, especially in unattended mode. Most Windows operating system has built-in handler that automatically handle and process a file with .reg extension by using RegEdit.exe, a GUI tool which also support command-line interface to search or edit the Windows registry.

Guide to Remove and Delete Registry Entries, Keys, Subkeys or Values via .reg Registration Entries File

To remove and delete a registry key (entire registry tree branch and its sub-keys) with a .reg file, just add a hyphen (- or also known as minus) in front of the registry path (registry tree branch name) in the .reg file.

For example, a typical .reg file has the following syntax:

RegistryEditorVersion

[RegistryPath]
“DataItemName”=”DataType:DataValue”

Actual .reg file content example:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\My Digital Life]
“MDL”=dword:00000001

To delete the whole registry key (i.e. HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\My Digital Life) and its whole subkeys and value data, just add a hyphen in front. For example:

[-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\My Digital Life]

To delete a specific or individual registry value with a .reg file, put a hyphen or minus (-) after the equal sign (=) following the DataItemName in the .reg file, replacing DataType:DataValue. For example, to delete the MDL registry value from above example, put a hyphen after the “MDL”= in the .reg file:

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\My Digital Life]
“MDL”=-

All editing of .reg file can be done with any text editor such as Notepad.

free Hyper-V training

2009-07-10T16:59:00.000+05:30

MAria posted this.

I would like to share this with all interested ppl in hyper-v.

Microsoft is offering some free Hyper-V training. You will need to enter a specific access code 9350-Y2W6-3676 and sign in with your Live ID. The course “Collection 6319 - Configuring Hyper-V in Windows Server 2008” includes the following modules:

1. An overview of the Hyper-V technology
2. Creating a virtual environment
3. Deploying systems in a virtual environment
4. Configuring high availability in a virtual environment
5. Administering a virtual environment with SCVMM

To sign up go to https://www.microsoftelearning.com/eLearning/enterCode.aspx

Grow your business with confidence: Microsoft Dynamics GP

2009-07-09T15:37:00.002+05:30

Microsoft Dynamics GP enables you to run your business the way you want to

Microsoft Dynamics GP is a richly featured business management solution that allows you to use familiar, powerful software to operate and grow your business.

Microsoft Dynamics GP removes needless obstacles to the productivity and effectiveness of the people and processes in your business. Connecting all your business processes in one streamlined, flexible management infrastructure, Microsoft Dynamics GP allows your people to do their jobs in the way they like, at outstanding levels of productivity. The solution also provides you with ways to build stronger, more productive relationships with your key stakeholders—customers and trading partners. The extensive reporting and collaborative capabilities in Microsoft Dynamics GP give you the information you need to make informed business decisions. Microsoft Dynamics partners can also help you implement and fine-tune the solution to ensure that you reap the best possible results from it.
Empower people with familiar software

Microsoft Dynamics GP presents the feel and functionality of familiar software your people use every day—Microsoft Office Outlook, Microsoft Office Word, and Microsoft Office Excel. If your employees are comfortable with the Microsoft Office system programs, they will find their way with Microsoft Dynamics GP rapidly—they can perform their jobs with greater productivity and satisfaction, and achieve the business results you need with optimal efficiency.
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Microsoft Dynamics GP not only presents the same user interface as Microsoft Office applications, but also lets you work with information from the business management solution directly within these Microsoft Office system programs.
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Microsoft Dynamics GP is designed to work the way people work, with personalized views to get the data they want when they need it.
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Time needed for training and familiarization is minimized—people can start working efficiently with Microsoft Dynamics GP quickly.

Generate optimal value from all of your systems

Working with and like the software systems you already own, Microsoft Dynamics GP can quickly become a core element of a seamless business management infrastructure. The latest version of Microsoft Dynamics GP works with Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 to facilitate collaboration and communication among your employees and with trading partners and customers. There are many aspects of what makes Microsoft Dynamics GP a great fit with your other technologies—and many ways to benefit from them.
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Microsoft Dynamics GP gives you an excellent return on your technology investment by integrating with Microsoft Office system applications, Microsoft Dynamics CRM, Microsoft Retail Management Systems (RMS), Microsoft SQL Server, Microsoft SQL Express Edition, Microsoft FRx, Windows Server, and Small Business Server.
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Customization tools assist your information technology (IT) staff or Authorized Microsoft Dynamics GP partner in adapting the business management solution to your specific requirements.

Drive business productivity

In your business, Microsoft Dynamics GP can help you realize the productivity goals you have for people and processes. Microsoft Dynamics GP 10.0 takes automation to a new level, freeing people to focus on the most critical tasks. The solution also offers many avenues to boost the business value of information and key relationships with partners and customers.
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Microsoft Dynamics GP lets you automate and standardize many recurring tasks, so they can take place more consistently and reliably, and with a minimal drain on your resources.
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Employees, trading partners, vendors, and customers can collaborate amongst themselves or engage with your business, transcending departmental, organizational, and geographic boundaries to exchange insight and access business functions at any time, from any location.
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The vast Microsoft Dynamics partner community offers the expertise and resources to extend Microsoft Dynamics GP with solutions that address challenges in your industry and market.

Enable confident decision-making

Decisions—strategic, tactical, and granular—drive and define both the direction of your business and the activities that take place within it every day. Microsoft Dynamics GP gives decision-makers at every level and in all areas of your business the means to gain practical, relevant insight and determine the best course of action. With Microsoft Dynamics GP, you can devise a rapid and successful response to changing business conditions and emerging market trends.
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Current, complete information from all areas of your business is available for comprehensive reporting and analysis, so you can make sound decisions based on all pertinent factors.
•

Microsoft Dynamics GP includes a large number of pre-formatted reports, supports reporting with Office Excel and SQL Server analytical capabilities, and lets you efficiently publish and broadcast reports to your audiences anywhere in the most practical and compelling format.
•

You can use familiar, efficient Microsoft Dynamics GP reporting tools to monitor and drive business performance and ensure consistent compliance with regulation or corporate quality standards.

Windows 7 Pre-Order Offer - It's pretty simple.

2009-07-09T13:36:00.002+05:30

Windows 7 is coming on October 22, 2009. Here's an easy way to get it fast and save a bunch: Pre-order a Windows 7 Home Premium Upgrade for $49** or a Windows 7 Professional Upgrade for $99.** That's about half off the estimated retail prices. This offer is available through participating retailers. Pick one below and pre-order today. They'll tell you how to get your copy when Windows 7 is available.

Then sit back and smile. You scored.

MCTS Self-Paced Training Kit (Exam 70-652): Configuring Windows Server Virtualization

2009-07-09T13:31:00.002+05:30

Server virtualization is one of the hottest technologies today, despite a very tough economy. According to a recent IDC study, spending on virtualization is expected to approach $15 billion worldwide this year. The study estimates that over three-quarters of all companies with more than 500 employees are deploying virtual servers.

A strong growth in virtualization means more and better IT jobs for those skilled in the technology. And getting certified is a great way to validate those skills to your current and prospective employers.

for MCTS Study Guide (Exam 70-652): Configuring Windows Server Virtualization

Nadee Ganga

2009-07-08T17:39:00.000+05:30

Jobs Matchmaker Presentation

2009-07-04T11:32:00.001+05:30

Google Voice invites on their way

2009-07-01T13:31:00.002+05:30

A couple of months ago we announced Google Voice, a service that gives you one phone number to link all your phones and makes voicemail as easy as email. We are happy to share that Google Voice is beginning to open up beyond former GrandCentral users. If you requested an invitation on the Google Voice site or previously on GrandCentral, keep your eye out for an invite email.

Once you receive your invitation, just click on the link and follow the instructions to setup your new Voice account. To help you find a Google number that is personalized to you, we've added a number picker that lets you search by area code and text. See if you can find a number that contains your name, a specific word or a number combination.

What is Cloud Computing ?

2009-07-01T13:01:00.001+05:30

Explaining Cloud Computing

2009-07-01T13:00:00.001+05:30

Even IT People Don't Know What Cloud Computing Is: Report

2009-07-01T12:59:00.000+05:30

Version One reportedly announced that its latest market research survey regarding cloud computing is ready, and its main finding is that more than 40 percent of senior IT professionals have confessed that they do not have a clue about the real meaning and definition of cloud computing.

One of the main reasons is that there are so many differing opinions and definitions floating around like whimsical clouds that even CIOs are having a tough time catching one definition and pinning it down.

“It is clear from the survey results that there are a number of contrasting views as to what cloud computing really is, which is hardly surprising in light of the many different cloud computing definitions in the public arena,” said Julian Buck, general manager of Version One. “For instance, Wikipedia defines it as ‘Internet-based computing’ whileGartner ( News - Alert) refers to it ‘as a service’ using Internet technologies. IT expert, John Willis, writing in his cloud blog says that ‘virtualisation is the secret sauce of a cloud’ and provides different levels of cloud computing. With so many definitions circulating, clarity is urgently needed.”

On a lighter note, the situation reminds me of a familiar musical lilt from the epic film, “The Sound of Music.” Does anyone out there remember, “How do you catch a cloud and pin it down? How do you solve a problem like....? When I’m with .... I’m confused, out of focus and bemused, and I’ll never know exactly where I am....”? (It’s a good thing there is no such thing as “moon computing,” or else the lyrics would start with, “How do you hold a moonbeam in your hand?”

Meanwhile, Version One, a company dealing in document management software, claims that they carried out the research with 60 senior IT professionals, including IT directors and managers, across a range of U.K. public and private sector organizations, and comes very close on the heels of their earlier survey, which showed that more than 66 percent of U.K. senior finance professionals, including finance directors and managers, are confused about cloud computing definitions and uses.

“If organizations are going to embrace cloud computing in the future it’s essential that a single, simplified explanation is adopted by everyone,” said Buck. “Failure to cut through the confusion could result in organizations rejecting this technology and missing out on the benefits it provides.”

The company says the research revealed that 17 percent, of the nearly 60 percent that claim to know what cloud computing is, understand cloud computing to be internet based computing, while 11 percent believe it is a combination of internet based computing, software as a service (SAAS), software on demand, an outsourced or managed service and a hosted software service, and the balance respondents understand cloud computing to be a mixture of the all of the above ingredients.

More interesting facts emerged from the clouded scenario: 5 percent of respondents say they use it a lot; 19 percent use it sparingly; 47 percent say their company does not use it; 29 percent are unaware whether their organization uses it or not; 2 percent are certain that their company is going to invest in cloud computing within the next twelve months; 30 percent are undecided about possible investments; 47 percent just do not know if there will any investment at all; and, 23 percent declared that their companies will be absolutely not invest in cloud computing.

“Although this is only a small survey of IT professionals, the results are nonetheless very alarming, especially as IT professionals are the very people that need to understand cloud computing so that they can explain its benefits to management,” Buck said.

Cloud technology leverages of the computing prowess of tens of thousands of servers and millions of computers all across the globe to deliver solutions and data that need not reside in the end users own desktop computer or mobile computing device. It can handle rapidly increasing simultaneous data inputs and queries without any perceptible alteration in performance, gives the impression that the most of the applications reside in the end users’ systems when these actually reside elsewhere and function over the Internet, and is available as a service. Some agencies offer free unlimited usage and others charge as per consumption. Either way, the cost of buying, learning and maintaining software and data storage is completely neutralized.

Version One says that there are significant benefits to be derived from cloud computing, such as the reduction in overheads and paper, ease of use, cost savings and the ability to provide collaborative tools for teaching and learning.

Another example is that of information technology start-up companies facing easier initiation and break-in periods than before since new cloud related solutions and newer, leaner and more agile planned programming computer languages are significantly and constantly reducing costs.

Another contributing factor is that the rapidly deteriorating economic condition is driving investors away and this is forcing people and companies to search for, innovate and come up triumphantly with a clutch of low cost or freely available solutions to establish and bolster start-ups and survive any which way they can. Venture capital investment has taken a 70-plus percent free-falling death spiral in January 2009 itself and reports claim that the situation is not likely to improve till the beginning of the fourth quarter of 2009.

Remote data storage, Web-based programs and the growing popularity of broadband technologies all contribute to drastic cost reduction by neutralizing the need to buy, hire or contract servers, storage silos, network administrators, and annual maintenance contracts.

A few illustrative futuristic examples demonstrate this concept clearly. One, a salesman delivers a major sales pitch in a client’s meeting room by accessing media rich content from a remote location via the internet and displaying it on the client’s choice of visual display such as laptop screens, stand alone monitors, projector screens, or connected high definition TV’s.

Two, teachers in third world countries could possibly access UNICEF hosted class-room lectures without having to carry heavy text-books and notes, or storing info on the schools’ server and network. In fact why have computing infrastructure of any sort? Stand alone trolley mounted computer systems with low cost projectors that can access Internet connections in each class room should suffice.

A few contemporary examples of cloud computing are: Users of Facebook share mega bytes of personal information such as photos, poems, stories and personal details via remote and connected Facebook (News - Alert) servers spread worldwide; People store data in XLS, DOC, PPT and PDF compatible formats on Google Documents and not on their own systems. In all four cases the end user requires only internet connectivity and comparatively low grade compatible systems that can access, edit if required, and display the information.

Components of Network Access Protection (NAP)

2009-06-26T16:22:00.001+05:30

Components of a NAP-Enabled Infrastructure.

The components of a NAP-enabled network infrastructure consist of the following:
2

NAP clients - Computers that support the NAP platform and include computers running Windows Server 2008, Windows Vista, or Windows XP SP3.

NAP enforcement points - Computers or network access devices that use NAP or can be used with NAP to require the evaluation of a NAP client’s health state and provide restricted network access or communication. NAP enforcement points use a Network Policy Server (NPS) that is acting as a NAP health policy server to evaluate the health state of NAP clients, whether network access or communication is allowed, and the set of remediation actions that a noncompliant NAP client must perform. Examples of NAP enforcement points are the following:

* Health Registration Authority (HRA) -A computer running Windows Server 2008 and Internet Information Services (IIS) that obtains health certificates from a certification authority (CA) for compliant NAP clients
* Network access devices -Ethernet switches or wireless access points (APs) that support IEEE 802.1X authentication
* VPN server -A computer running Windows Server 2008 and Routing and Remote Access that allows remote access VPN connections to an intranet
* DHCP server -A computer running Windows Server 2008 and the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) Server service that provides automatic Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4) address configuration to intranet clients

NAP health policy servers -Computers running Windows Server 2008 and the NPS service that store health requirement policies and provide health state validation for NAP. NPS is the replacement for the Internet Authentication Service (IAS), the Remote Authentication Dial-In User Service (RADIUS) server and proxy provided with Windows Server 2003. NPS can also act as an authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA) server for network access. When acting as a AAA server or NAP health policy server, NPS is typically run on a separate server for centralized configuration of network access and health requirement policies, as Figure 1 shows. The NPS service is also run on Windows Server 2008–based NAP enforcement points, such as an HRA or DHCP server. However, in these configurations, the NPS service is acting as a RADIUS proxy to exchange RADIUS messages with a NAP health policy server.

Health requirement servers -Computers that provide current system health state for NAP health policy servers. For example, a health requirement server for an antivirus program tracks the latest version of the antivirus signature file.

Active Directory Domain Services -The Windows directory service that stores account credentials and properties and Group Policy settings. Although not required for health state validation, Active Directory is 3 required for Internet Protocol Security (IPsec)–protected communications, 802.1X-authenticated connections, and remote access VPN connections.

Restricted network -A separate logical or physical network that contains:

* Remediation servers -Network infrastructure servers and health update servers that NAP clients can access to remediate their noncompliant state. Examples of network infrastructure servers include Domain Name System (DNS) servers and Active Directory domain controllers. Examples of health update servers include antivirus signature distribution servers and software update servers.
* NAP clients with limited access -Computers that are placed on the restricted network when they do not comply with health requirement policies.
* Non-NAP-capable computers -Optionally, computers that do not support NAP can be placed on the restricted network (not shown in Figure 1).

System Health Agents and System Health Validators

Components of the NAP infrastructure known as system health agents (SHAs) on NAP clients and system health validators (SHVs) on NAP health policy servers provide health state tracking and validation for attributes of system health. Windows Vista and Windows XP SP3 include a Windows Security Health Validator SHV that monitors the settings of the Windows Security Center. Windows Server 2008 includes the corresponding Windows Security Health Validator SHV. NAP is designed to be flexible and extensible. It can interoperate with any vendor who provides SHAs and SHVs that use the NAP API.

An SHA creates a statement of health (SoH) that contains the current status information about the attribute of health being monitored by the SHA. For example, an SHA for an antivirus program might contain the state of the program (installed and running) and the version of the current antivirus signature file. Whenever an SHA updates its status, it creates a new SoH. To indicate its overall health state, a NAP client uses a System Statement of Health (SSoH), which includes version information for the NAP client and the set of SoHs for the installed SHAs.

When the NAP client validates its system health, it passes its SSoH to the NAP health policy server for evaluation through a NAP enforcement point. The NAP health policy server uses the SSoH, its installed SHVs, and its health requirement policies to determine whether the NAP client is compliant with system health requirements, and if it is not, the remediation actions that must be taken to achieve compliance. Each SHV produces a statement of health response (SoHR), which can contain remediation instructions. For example, the SoHR for an antivirus program might contain the current version number of the antivirus signature file and the name or IP address of the antivirus signature file server on the intranet.

Based on the SoHRs from the SHVs and the configured health requirement policies, the NAP health policy server creates a System Statement of Health Response (SSoHR), 4 which indicates whether the NAP client is compliant or noncompliant and includes the set of SoHRs from the SHVs. The NAP health policy server passes the SSoHR back to the NAP client through a NAP enforcement point. The NAP client passes the SoHRs to its SHAs. The noncompliant SHAs automatically remediate their health state and create updated SoHs, and the health validation process begins again.
Enforcement Clients and Servers

A NAP Enforcement Client (EC) is a component on a NAP client that requests some level of access to a network, passes the computer’s health status to a NAP enforcement point that is providing the network access, and indicates health evaluation information to other components of the NAP client architecture. The NAP ECs for the NAP platform supplied in Windows Vista, Windows XP SP3, and Windows Server 2008 are the following:

* An IPsec EC for IPsec-protected communications
* An EAPHost EC for 802.1X-authenticated connections
* A VPN EC for remote access VPN connections
* A DHCP EC for DHCP-based IPv4 address configuration
* A TS Gateway EC for connections to a TS Gateway server

A NAP Enforcement Server (ES) is a component on a NAP enforcement point running Windows Server 2008 that allows some level of network access or communication, can pass a NAP client’s health status to NPS for evaluation, and, based on the response from NPS, can provide the enforcement of limited network access. The NAP ESs included with Windows Server 2008 are the following:

* An IPsec ES for IPsec-protected communications
* A DHCP ES for DHCP-based IPv4 address configuration
* A TS Gateway ES for TS Gateway server connections

For 802.1X-authenticated and remote access VPN connections, there is no separate ES component running on the 802.1X switch or wireless AP or VPN server.

Together, ECs and ESs require health state validation and enforce limited network access for noncompliant computers for specific types of network access or communication.
NPS

NPS is a RADIUS server and proxy in Windows Server 2008. As a RADIUS server, NPS provides AAA services for various types of network access. For authentication and authorization, NPS uses Active Directory to verify user or computer credentials and obtain user or computer account properties when a computer attempts an 802.1Xauthenticated connection or a VPN connection.

NPS also acts as a NAP health policy server. Administrators set system health requirements in the form of health requirement policies on the NAP health policy server.
5

NAP health policy servers evaluate health state information provided by NAP clients to determine health compliance, and for noncompliance, the set of remediation actions that must be taken by the NAP client to become compliant.

The role of NPS as an AAA server is independent from its role as a NAP health policy server. These roles can be used separately or combined as needed. For example:

* NPS can be an AAA server on an intranet that has not yet deployed NAP.
* NPS can be a combination of AAA server and health policy server for 802.1Xauthenticated connections on an intranet that has deployed NAP for 802.1Xauthenticated connections.
* NPS can be a health policy server for DHCP configuration on an intranet that has deployed NAP for DHCP configuration.

Exchange Server 2010 Beta available

2009-06-26T16:16:00.002+05:30

Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 brings a new and rich set of technologies, features, and services to the Exchange Server product line. This topic lists many of the new features and functionality that are included in Exchange 2010. The list isn't comprehensive; however, it provides important information to use when you're planning, deploying, and administering your Exchange 2010 organization:

* New Rights-Protected E-Mail Functionality with Active Directory RMS
* New Transport and Routing Functionality
* New Permissions Functionality
* New High Availability Functionality
* New Messaging Policy and Compliance Features
* New Outlook Web Access Features
* New Unified Messaging Features
* Web Management Interface
* New Exchange Core Store Functionality
* New Administration Functionality in the Exchange Management Console
* New Administration Functionality in the Exchange Management Shell

The first Beta version of Exchange Server 2010 is now available for download. Go ahead, download now!!

Happy Father’s Day to all of you techie dads out there

2009-06-26T16:12:00.000+05:30

Free Windows 7 IT Pro beta class offered

2009-06-26T15:51:00.001+05:30

Microsoft Learning has recently completed the beta version of a Windows 7 Instructor-led training course for IT Professionals entitled “Installing and Configuring Windows® 7 Client”

In an attempt to attain feedback on the course prior to the RTM release of Windows 7 we are offering the three-day course to IT Pros who would like to attend and give feedback on the course.

· When: July 7th to 9th (9:00AM to 5:00PM)

· Where: Microsoft Campus, Redmond WA

This beta class is being offered for free only once and class size is limited. If you are interested in attending the course send an email to trblog@microsoft.com. In the email explain your interest in the course as an IT Professional. Students will be chosen based on how well they match the audience profile listed in the syllabus link above. You will receive an email response within 48 hours if you have been selected to attend the course.

Microsoft’s Virtual Lab Exams: Going Inside the Black Box

2009-06-26T15:35:00.000+05:30

Microsoft recently announced the release of virtual labs in 83-640. Virtual labs allow you to perform tasks using the software technology rather than performing them in a simulated environment or answering multiple choices questions about how you would solve the specified problem. With virtual labs, you solve the problem by doing something. I found this totally cool video that shows off the virtual lab technology and item type and thought it would be great to share it with you.