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Welcome to the May 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:
�
Bartle Bogle Hegarty
�
J.
Crew
�
Northstar Travel Media
CONGRATS TO NEW HORIZONS!
QTS would like to congratulate New Horizons of New
Jersey for achieving Microsoft Gold Partner status as a
Certified Partner for Learning Solutions. This status
is based on a combination of criteria including customer
feedback and references, trainer certifications and
other quality indicators. For more information, visit
www.nhnj.com or contact your QTS Account Manager.
QTS IS HIRING!
QTS is recruiting for senior level technical personnel,
as well as an entry to mid-level sales/service support
specialist. If you know anyone who might be a good fit,
please have them submit their resume to Liz Meechan, our
Office Manager. Liz can be reached at
lmeechan@QTSnet.com, or (973)984-7600 x223.
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EVENTS
QTS,
Econium, Softmart, New Horizons and Microsoft are
hosting two half day seminars on Tuesday, June 7th
at New Horizons in Iselin, NJ. In the morning, session,
QTS will present on improving Operational Efficiency and
Productivity with Windows Server 2003 and Exchange
Server 2003, as well as discuss management solutions.
In the afternoon session, Econium will present on how to
improve employee productivity with collaborative
solutions including SharePoint, InfoPath and Live
Communications Server, while QTS presents on Security
and Secure Remote Access. Softmart and New Horizons
will discuss Software Assurance benefits, including
training vouchers, at both events. For more information
or to register, contact your QTS Account Manager or
visit
www.clicktoattend.com and enter event code 102552
for the
morning session (QTS), and 102554 for the
afternoon session (Econium/QTS).
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PRESIDENT'S CORNER
In
March, our column started to review Ten Steps to Build a
Highly Available Network, and covered the first three
steps. To review that column, click
here. In April, we covered the next four steps � to
review that column, click
here. This month, we�ll cover the remaining three
steps.
8.
Utilize Robust Antivirus and Anti-Spyware Tools
Viruses, worms and malicious code (including spyware)
are an increasingly critical threat to maintaining a
highly available network in today�s world. Viruses can
be effectively contained with antivirus software �
however, it is important to have a good product in
place, that is properly configured. I often find that
when customers have virus problems, they usually are
running antivirus software � however, signature or scan
engine files often are not current, and configurations
may leave room for attacks to take place. Centralized
management tools are important, particularly in larger
organizations, and it is important to �lock down�
configurations so users cannot turn off their antivirus
protection. Worms present a slightly different
challenge in that they spread across a network using
open communications ports � the solution here is
typically to implement personal firewall software on PCs
(this is why Microsoft included the personal firewall in
Windows XP, and turned it on by default in Service Pack
2) and Host IDS software on servers � or to implement a
Network IDS/IPS (Intrusion Detection/Prevention System)
to protect the network.
Spyware is a challenge unto itself. The frustrating
part of this is that it is a problem that usually stems
from lack of proper policies on computer usage, or
failure to adhere to or enforce those policies.
Generally, organizations that have trouble with spyware
are ones that allow people to surf anywhere they choose
(intentionally or otherwise), whereas organizations that
restrict Internet access typically do not have spyware
problems � or if they do, to a far lesser degree.
Spyware and Malware (malicious software) get onto users�
computers because it is installed by the web sites they
visit, usually without their knowledge. Once installed,
spyware can track and transmit personal information or
data from a computer, it can cause performance slowdowns
or system crashes, and it can consume network bandwidth.
Sypware seems to be the number one �headache� facing
most IT departments today. Fortunately, help is on the
way � Microsoft purchased Giant Software last year and
has put Microsoft Windows AntiSpyware into open beta,
with scheduled release this year. I�ve been running
this on my computer for months and find it very
straightforward and un-intrusive. Symantec Antivirus
10.0, scheduled for release in late April, is promoted
to have extensive anti-spyware capabilities integrated
with its strong antivirus functionality, and is
centrally managed � for Symantec customers, this upgrade
should be a �no-brainer.� Other antivirus vendors are
either working to integrate anti-spyware into their
offerings, or have done so, or have released pay-for
products. As to Symantec and Microsoft, I applaud their
approach in not making this a profit center and
providing anti-spyware capabilities to customers without
additional charge. Finally, many organizations are
building �defense in depth� and also building spyware
protection into the network perimeter, leveraging IDS/IPS
platforms like Symantec�s SNS 7100 appliance, or using
specific content filtering software like Aladdin�s eSafe
(which scans code passing through the server/device)
and/or AppliFilter (which blocks communication from
infected systems back out to the Internet).
9.
Ensure Tape Backup is Reliable
When
problems occur, having reliable tape backup is
critically important. Some important things you can do
is regularly clean your tape drives (do this proactively
and don�t wait for software to tell you to do so), store
your tapes horizontally (prevents tapes from warping)
and out of direct sunlight, heat, cold or magnetic
fields, and perform a test restore of a file or files
once a month � to make sure that you actually can bring
data back if you need to. Based on the massive growth
of data on our networks, organizations are faced with
challenges around backup capacity � be careful that if
you start excluding certain directories/folders from
backup, that new ones you add aren�t left out �
different backup programs handle this differently.
Backup window is an increasing problem, and some
organizations are turning to �disk to disk to tape�
scenarios where data gets backed up to a NAS (Network
Attached Storage) device, which then gets backed up to
tape. Finally, Windows Server 2003 provides the Volume
Shadow Copy feature allowing for files to be restored
without going to tape when this is configured.
Understanding your options, and leveraging these tools
properly, is critical to a successful backup strategy.
You don�t want to be learning in the middle of a
pressurized situation.
10.
Define, Implement and Test a Disaster Recovery Plan
This
leaves Disaster Recovery as the last area of focus.
I�ve already written about this in prior QuikNews
columns (see September/October 2001 issues on our web
site), and could easily write 10 steps just on this
topic. However, I�ll summarize a few key points.
First, start with defining what it is that you need to
protect, and define the business value to the company �
this is a good exercise that we incorporate into our
Security Policy engagement, and it really gets people
thinking in a good way. By defining the value and
importance to the business, you help to define the
appropriate level of protection for the resource, and
build the case for the investment to do so. Be specific
here � if you need email when a disaster occurs, does
that mean you need the ability to send and receive
emails, or does it mean you need immediate access to
every email you�ve ever sent? The answer here defines
whether you need a simple hosted service like
MessageOne�s EMS, at a nominal investment, or a complex
data replication solution with a hot site (and
considerable investment as well as ongoing management
costs).
While we�re on the topic of hot sites � there are
actually hot, warm and cold sites, depending on whether
you need a facility to go to in the event of disaster,
but no equipment/communications in place (cold), a
partially functional environment to which you can
restore data and be up and running with moderate time
loss (warm) or an immediate failover to a working site
with realtime data access (hot). For many businesses, a
cold or warm site is acceptable, and a few hours or a
day of downtime makes more sense than the huge
investment in a hot site. This all comes back to
defining your needs. In any case, once your needs are
defined and the suitable solution(s) determined, they
need to be put in place and tested, and
the procedures need to be documented and
communicated. The best plan in the world won�t
help in a pressurized situation if people can�t follow
it and don�t know what they�re doing.
Overall, I would say that the theme of defining your
business assets and the cost of downtime or loss of
those assets runs across everything we�ve been talking
about. What we�re really talking about here is making
smart business decisions � what�s the appropriate level
of insurance to protect against the level of risk, and
the impact of loss. If the value of the asset isn�t all
that high, then it isn�t worth a significant investment
to protect it. However, considering that 90% of
businesses that suffer a disaster never recover from it,
this is a topic to be taken seriously. Appropriate
protections can be put in place for any size business,
and a lot of the suggestions I have raised here can be
implemented with relatively low cost. However, we�re
also talking about process and procedure � and anything
involving the �human factor� often is more complex than
implementing a technology. So to be successful here,
proper planning needs to be complemented by strong
leadership and follow-through on details.
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
This
month QTS is spotlighting its partner for Voice/Data
Convergence, the Convergence Division of Greenwich
Technology Partners. Greenwich Technology Partners ("GTP")
provides highly specialized consulting and engineering
services in the IP telephony and unified messaging
areas. These "Convergence" services often generate
significant financial savings to our corporate customers
by increasing employee productivity and reducing
telecommunications expenses.
One
of the difficult decisions facing IT managers and CIO's
today is how to maximize the current data architecture
and realize economies of scale throughout the
organization. When faced with a transitional event, such
as building a new office or upgrading the voice or data
network, many IT professionals evaluate and select the
path of convergence to reach these goals. A converged
network, which voice, video, and data are integrated on
the same network, provides several advantages to the
organization. A converged network reduces administrative
and staffing costs, network infrastructure costs, and
improves employee productivity. It also allows for much
rapid deployment of new applications, such as unified
messaging and personal communications assistants. For
these reasons, and many others, convergent technology is
becoming a reality, and not just a thought.
How is GTP able to provide a competitive
advantage to our customers? First, all GTP convergence
consultants have significant telecommunications and data
networking expertise. GTP has parlayed that knowledge to
provide complete convergence services. Second, GTP's
methodology is unmatched in the industry. GTP offers
true economic value to clients by mapping cutting-edge
technologies such as IP telephony and unified messaging
to its clients' business requirements, then delivering
reliable, effective, and scalable solutions. Third, GTP
has aligned ourselves with leaders in the convergence
arena. GTP is one of the most successful integrators of
the CallXpress and RightFax solutions by Captaris, and
is an AVVID partner of Cisco in the IP Telephony
Specialization. Investments in this technology, such as
a state-of-the-art IP Telephony lab in Whippany,
position GTP for the tremendous growth predicted in this
industry.
Unified messaging is a portion of IP Telephony, and a
core business solution offered by GTP. GTP's UM suite is
comprised of two software packages, CallXpress Voice
Mail and RightFax LAN-based faxing. By integrating each
into a client's existing groupware solution, clients are
able to provide one message store for all message types
- email, voice mail, and fax mail.
Faxing is no longer completed at the fax machine; users
simply send and retrieve faxes from their groupware
client. Similar to faxes, voice messages are retrieved
at the desktop. Providing email text-to-speech access to
a user via a mobile device completes unified messaging.
QTS
and GTP work together to build solutions that provide a
competitive advantage for our clients. QTS builds out
the data infrastructure, and GTP provides the voice
components to complete the converged network.
For
more information on Greenwich Technology Partners'
Convergence Group, please view their web site at
www.greenwichtech.com, email Mike Waresk at
mwaresk@greenwichtech.com, or call him at 973-576-1620.
Or, contact your QTS Account Manager.
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