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Welcome to the June edition of QTS QuikNews, our monthly
e-mail newsletter. In this monthly e-mail, you will
receive an update of what's new at QTS - new products we
support, new patches and upgrades, solution ideas and
promotions to save you money, and information about our
company and our clients.
In this issue:
-
QTS and Partner News
-
Events
-
President's Corner
-
QuikSecure Tip of the Month
-
Patches and Upgrades
-
Product Support Lifecycle Watch
-
Solution Spotlight
-
Special Offers
-
Partner Spotlight
QTS AND
PARTNER NEWS
WELCOME TO NEW CUSTOMERS
QTS offers a �welcome aboard� to the following new
customers:
�
Armanti
Financial Services
�
Redi-Mail
Direct Marketing
QTS IS HIRING!
QTS is recruiting for senior and mid-level technical
personnel, an entry to mid-level sales/service
specialist, and 1099 contract technical resources. If
you know anyone who might be a good fit, please have
them visit our recruitment page at
http://www.qtsnet.com/jobs/Default.htm, or submit
their resume to Liz Meechan, our Office Manager. Liz can
be reached at
lmeechan@QTSnet.com, or (973)984-7600 x223.
PRESS RELEASES
QTS PARTICIPATING IN WINDOWS VISTA TECHNOLOGY ADOPTION
PROGRAM
6/19/2006: QTS
today announced that it is participating, along with
several QTS customers, in Microsoft's Technology
Adoption Program ("TAP") for Windows Vista. Under the
Vista TAP program, Microsoft customers are actively beta
testing Windows Vista, the next release of the Windows
operating system, to identify potential problems and
compatibility issues so they can be resolved prior to
commercial release of the product.
Read more at
http://www.QTSnet.com/stayinformed/l3_stay_pr68.htm
QTS NAMED CITRIX GOLD PARTNER
6/26/2006: QTS
today announced
that
it has achieved Gold Partner status in the Citrix�
Solution Advisor program. Gold Partner status with
Citrix is based on a combination of completing sales and
technical certifications, sales volume, successful
customer deployments and a close working relationship
with the local Citrix team.
Read more at
http://www.QTSnet.com/stayinformed/l3_stay_pr67.htm
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PRODUCT NOTICES AND ADVISORIES
MICROSOFT OFFICE REBATE
Customers who purchase Microsoft Office 2003
Professional through an Open License or Open License
Value program by June 30th may be eligible to
receive up to $125 per license as a rebate from
Microsoft. See
https://www.microsoftincentives.com/officeopenrebate/
for more information, or contact your QTS Account
Manager.
TERMINAL SERVICES CAL TRADE-UP EXTENDED!
Due
to a change in the way Microsoft licenses Terminal
Services as of April 2003, customers may be eligible for
free Terminal Services Client Access Licenses (CALs).
With the release of Windows Server 2003, the �built-in�
CALs under Windows 2000 were
eliminated. However, customers owning Windows XP Pro
receive a free Terminal Services CAL for each XP
license. This offer has been extended, but we
strongly recommend processing this promptly.
For more information, visit
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2003/
howtobuy/licensing/tscaltransfaq.mspx.
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PRESIDENT'S CORNER
Constant changes in the nature of security threats have
forced our industry to adapt, and driven the release of
new technologies to address these concerns. As our
businesses become more and more reliant on technology,
and these technologies become more and more complex, new
solutions are needed to manage this architecture and
mitigate threats to network uptime and availability.
One
of these areas is Network Admission Control (�NAC�).
Cisco was early to market with a solution in this space,
so their name �stuck� in identifying this type of
solution. However, Microsoft has their own similar
offering which they call Network Access Protection
(�NAP�) and numerous other vendors are also providing
solutions in this space. Citrix Systems refers to this
function as �End Point Analysis,� which is a very
descriptive name. In effect, we�re talking about
scanning systems before they connect to the network to
verify their security posture, and validate their
compliance with the organization�s security policy �
particularly:
o
Does
the system have an approved antivirus solution, and is
that solution running?
o
Are
the antivirus signatures and/or scan engines current?
o
Is
the system running a personal firewall?
o
Is
the system patched to current, acceptable levels?
If
any of the answers to these questions are no, the system
will not be allowed to connect, or if it is, it may have
its access rights reduced (for example, a system might
be allowed to run browser-based applications, but not to
connect to file shares). The user might also be
promoted with remediation options to fix the
non-compliant areas.
Cisco�s NAC solution has evolved over the last two
years, and Cisco has evolved its solution during that
time. Cisco�s solution provides a framework that the
leading antivirus vendors (Symantec, McAfee, Trend) have
written support for and integrate with, and which
integrates the various Cisco infrastructure platforms
(switches, routers, wireless access points, etc.) to
apply security policies when a client connects to the
network. Cisco�s Clean Access provides an
appliance-based solution to manage network access, while
the Cisco NAC Framework provides a more distributed
infrastructure integrating various Cisco components.
The
Microsoft solution, Network Access Protection, is
currently limited to being applied to Microsoft RRAS
(Routing and Remote Access Services) connections, which
means this only helps customers who are concerned with
the perimeter, and who are running Microsoft Windows
Server for their VPN connectivity. So, this is
currently only applicable to a limited subset of
organizations. However, Microsoft is including a NAP
client in Windows Vista, and a server component will be
released with Windows Longhorn Server late next year.
At that time, Microsoft NAP will allow �end point
analysis� of Windows clients connecting to Windows
networks, whether those clients are coming through a VPN
or are locally connected. Non-compliant systems will be
isolated and restricted in their network access.
Another QTS partner, Symantec, is also a player in this
space, through their acquisition of
Sygate late last year.
Sygate has been a leading software NAC provider,
and Symantec�s acquisition provided them with an
immediate solution in this field. It stands to reason
that over time, this technology will be integrated, at
least to some degree, with Symantec�s current antivirus
and Client Security offerings, with a common management
and administrative console.
Citrix is another QTS partner with a solution in this
space. Citrix takes a different approach in that the
Citrix solution is hardware-based, leveraging the Citrix
Access Gateway SSL VPN appliance. By leveraging this
appliance for VPN connectivity, traditional IPSec VPN
functionality that requires a client can be eliminated,
simplifying deployment. The CAG appliance provides all
of the End Point Analysis functions noted above, and the
ability to apply access policies becomes significantly
enhanced beyond this when the CAG is combined with
Citrix� Advanced Access Control (�AAC�) software, which
is part of the MetaFrame
Access Suite (however, note that this solution does not
require a Citrix MetaFrame
Presentation Server � it can be used in �non-Citrix�
environments as well). The obvious application for the
Citrix solution is to provide perimeter security, but
the same technology can be placed inline within the
corporate network to control internal connections as
well (and, in higher volume environments, the CAG would
be replaced with Citrix� higher-end
NetScaler appliance).
There is a threshold decision that needs to be made when
evaluating these solutions � are you primarily concerned
with controlling the security posture of remote clients,
or all devices on your network? Remote clients pose the
greatest security threat, since they are more likely to
be non-compliant with your policies and threaten your
security posture, and the
Microsoft or Citrix solutions work particularly well
here. However, the threat to the network from devices
that go on and off the network (laptop computer users,
which represent an ever-growing constituency on most
networks) is very, very real, highlighting the need for
personal firewalls and other security to protect from
worms and other forms of malicious code. For the entire
network, the Cisco, Symantec or Citrix solutions can fit
the bill well, and the Microsoft solution will evolve to
cover that space over time. So defining your
requirements, and sensitivities, is very important.
This also very much ties to budget, since a
comprehensive solution across the whole network will be
much more expensive (and intrusive) than a remote
access-only solution.
Ultimately, the correct decision for your network will
depend on the technologies you have in place on your
network, on how time-sensitive your needs in this area
are (or how long you�re willing to wait) and specific
feature requirements. Over time, it would seem the
Microsoft solution will address the core needs well, and
this will eventually become an essential element of most
networks� security fabric. But in the interim, and
perhaps beyond, these vendors and others are providing
strong solutions today to help enforce your security
policies and reduce the exposure to security threats on
your network.
As
always, feel free to email me your comments or thoughts
at
nrosenberg@QTSnet.com. Thank you.
Neil Rosenberg
President & CEO
Quality Technology Solutions
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PARTNER SPOTLIGHT
Often companies are unaware of opportunities provided by
the Internet and their web sites, that can help
differentiate them from their competition. In today�s
world, a web site is often the first image your
customers see of your organization, and sets the tone
for how your company is viewed and treated. This is one
area where QTS' partner for Web site development,
Interactive Media Associates (IMA), can help. Consider
inviting IMA to perform a cost-effective audit of your
existing Web site and your Intranet/Extranet services to
learn how savvy companies are using the Web to improve
their marketing, as well as to drive efficiencies
internally and externally.
IMA is a full-service digital agency headquartered in
Parsippany, NJ. Clients include New York City Ballet,
Hackensack University Medical Center, Metropolitan
Opera, Mason Gross School of the Arts,
CalTech, the Shakespeare
Theatre of New Jersey, and IATSE International, among
others. IMA works closely with another QTS partner,
Lenskold Group, to develop web content that integrates
tightly with the organization's marketing strategy. They
also specialize in interactive "Weblet"
sites that extend the Internet experience through
smaller, more targeted interactive sites, which promote
a specific product, event, or company function.
Len Muscarella, IMA�s
President, founded the company in 1985. Len spent years
working for traditional media companies, including three
plus years as one of the pioneers of the "online"
industry in his work with CBS and Prodigy. Anticipating
the business potential of interactive media, he founded
IMA and began to help clients use the new technologies
to change the way they marketed their products and
services. Soon, IMA was providing consulting services
in market research, competitive analysis, and business
strategy for companies developing products related to
proprietary online services, interactive television,
CD-ROM technology, and, eventually, the Internet.
Many of IMA's client sites
are hosted in the company's
ReliaServe hosting environment, based on multiple
web servers, set up in a high availability and
reliability configuration.
QTS,
Lenskold Group and
IMA work together for our customers to develop web
sites that integrate the technology, design and
marketing strategies to best meet our customers' goals
and objectives.
For
more information on IMA please view their web site at
www.imediainc.com, email them at lmuscarella@imediainc.com,
or call 973-539-5255. Or, contact your QTS Account
Manager.
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