There is nothing worse than a customer coming into the computer shop with a bad hard drive. The first thing I ask them is do you have backups of all your important and quite frankly priceless data. The most common answer I get is that all the data is on the hard drive. That was good yesterday but what about now that your hard drive may or may not be recoverable.
Close your eyes and think about what would happen if your hard drive crashed right now and you could never get your pictures, documents, and financial data back just to name a few. Scare you? Stop right there and create a backup plan immediately. Just think about how much those photos alone are worth to you. Here are a few tips on good back-up practices.
Do the backup as soon as possible. Don't wait your drive could crash anytime. You do not need to back up applications or the operating system they can be reinstalled. Back up what you cannot replace. I do not, as a rule like to use backup software because they tend to put all of your data into one big ball that can only be seen by the software itself. I feel it is better to copy files individually onto an external hard drive or in the case of a smaller amount of data writeable DVDs or CDs. Simply dragging and dropping the folders onto the new media works great. Keeping the files individual and not in a big ball will safeguard you from a possible bad write of the data in the first place. And you will be able to see what in fact you did backup and what you did not backup.
Now you have a copy locally, you can rest easy, unless something happens to the computer's hard drive and the external drive. This may Sound like it does not happen but I assure you that it does, and I seen it happen.
The final piece of the elusive backup puzzle is off-site backup. There are many services all over the internet that keep a backup of your valuable data. Carbonite is a good service that I have used and is very easy to use. However the initial backup may take some time because your upload speed is generally slower than you download speed. A good free solution is Microsoft's Skydrive if you have less than 25 GB of data. It is a much slower process but it the cost is right. You just need to set up a Microsoft Live account and you are on your way. There are many other services that all have different features that fit different people's needs but you can decide which is best for you. The most important part is to get your important data backed up in more than one place. Then if you should happen to have a hard ware failure you have piece of mind knowing that your data is at the very least safe.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Basics For Finding a Remote Backup Service Provider
Are you a business owner and have one or even several different computers that are constantly having files saved on them? Do you ask your employees to back up their files daily? Have you thought about how much time that could be taking or the chance that they might not even be doing it on a daily basis? They might be in a hurry at the end of the day and think they can do the back up tomorrow. Then something happens to their computer overnight and the files are lost.
There is an inexpensive solution and it can save your employees hours of time and give you the peace of mind that you are protected if something does happen to your computers. You can have remote backup service provider. They will take care of backing up your data 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You might be wondering what protects your remote backup service provider from having problems on their end. If you find the right company there are things that they will do to guarantee you are protected and they are doing their job. Some of those things you will want to look for in a remote backup service provider are:
1. They backup your data 24/7
2. They notify you by phone or email if a backup was not completed
3. They transmit your data to their remote backup servers through an encryption so that the information is private
4. Your data is protected from hackers
5. Your data is stored safely and the backup server provider stores your information to a secure location
These are some basic things to look for, but worth taking this action so that you and your business are protected.
There is an inexpensive solution and it can save your employees hours of time and give you the peace of mind that you are protected if something does happen to your computers. You can have remote backup service provider. They will take care of backing up your data 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You might be wondering what protects your remote backup service provider from having problems on their end. If you find the right company there are things that they will do to guarantee you are protected and they are doing their job. Some of those things you will want to look for in a remote backup service provider are:
1. They backup your data 24/7
2. They notify you by phone or email if a backup was not completed
3. They transmit your data to their remote backup servers through an encryption so that the information is private
4. Your data is protected from hackers
5. Your data is stored safely and the backup server provider stores your information to a secure location
These are some basic things to look for, but worth taking this action so that you and your business are protected.
What Are the Benefits of Being a CPA?
CPA, certified public accountant, CPA's are a vital part of any strong business or organization. In all three major areas of the accounting industry (Public, Private and Governmental) the CPA skill set is valued and respected as the pinnacle of professional achievement, and can equate to job promotions, travel opportunities, and personal growth.
1. Prestige, Respect and Reputation
They are well respected and greatly admired by their peers, clients, and social circles. Through their experience and knowledge, their virtues, ethics, character, technical and academic proficiency are tested. You could say that CPA stands for "Commitment, Professionalism, Achievement" just as much as it stands for Certified Public Accountant.
In today's professional world, these 3 qualities are valued assets in any business. CPA is a highly sought after professions in this society today.
2. Money and financial satisfaction
Let's face it: We all work to make money and earn benefits. If financial success is part of your motivation to become a CPA, you can breathe easily. For experienced CPAs. Salaries between $80K - $110K are common in public accounting, and these figures are likely to increase yearly, according to recent surveys.
3. Job Satisfaction and variety of work
As financial reporting becomes increasingly complex and increased in its importance, there is greater opportunity for criminal activity and negligence. Tighter regulations passed by the Securities Exchange Commission need to be complimented by CPA's high level of honesty and integrity in order to put a stop to white collar crime and financial misstatements. They are frequently called upon to testify during criminal trials as expert witnesses.
As a whole, CPA's are multifaceted professionals capable of performing multiple highly specialized job functions, some examples as below, but not limited to:
• Tax advisory services • Business consultation • Auditing • International Financial Reporting • Information Technology • Management consultation
4. Career Security
There is a shortage of experienced accounting professionals, which puts those with their CPA designation even more in demand. What's more, this trend shows no signs of slowing down. Students and young professionals that earn their CPA can almost guaranteed to find and secure a lucrative position of their choice. Firms and institutions are falling over each other in the struggle to locate and hang on to the most talented individuals. Universities and colleges will soon be offering compelling incentives to lure CPA's into a teaching career. In a time when our financial institutions are claiming bankruptcy ; CPA's tomorrow could be the day you write your own ticket to financial security.
5. Personal Growth
The skills you acquire in your training to become a CPA will give you confidence in yourself and your newfound abilities. The money and prestige you gain will allow you to have the finer things in life. Although math skills are important for anyone to have, you only need average level math knowledge to excel as a CPA.
The CPA earns his/her stripes by enduring a rigorous course of study and training, capped off with one of the most notoriously difficult professional exams in the world: The Uniform Certified Public Accountants Examination. Once a candidate passes the exam, it's time to get licensed, which requires jumping through some more hoops. Even better, once you've attained licensure, you've earned the privilege of working long hours doing tough, complicated, and sometimes tedious work.
6. Abundant job opportunities
There are abundant job opportunities once you become a CPA. One does not need to be worried on being retrenched or have your salary cut as this is not something which will happen to a CPA, which current demand for this profession. The CPA profession is thriving
7. The Go places campaign
Some level of credit for this improvement goes to the AICPA', Go Places campaign, which for the past five years has offered high school and college students good reasons to consider a career as a CPA. More than one million students have logged on to the campaign's Web site, o use interactive resources that bring to life the excitement of being a member of our profession.
Each underscores CPAs' important public-interest role as providers of guidance to clients, businesses and consumers. They also represent opportunities. Whether through educating students about the benefits of being a CPA, reaching out to legislators, volunteering to improve Americans' financial understanding or enhancing skills to better serve clients and employers, CPAs can take part in shaping a vibrant future for the profession so that America continues to rely on CPAs for better control of white collar crime.
The Risks and Issues of Data Breaching Privacy
Data security represents both a new global market opportunity to enhance the insurance coverage and a new risk especially for independent insurance agencies that may not be compliant with data security laws to protect their own companies from data breaches.
Data Breaching is one of the hot "white collar criminal " probably for the past four years. A lot of legislation has been passed, and data security breaches have become a main street type exposure, so clients are a little more aware that a breach could occur as compared to previous. With the increasing business over the Internet and the presence of Wi-Fi (wireless Internet access), it's virtually impossible to secure all of that information. In other words, though Electronic evidence can be dynamite, the casual nature of email can expose critical evidence.
Encryption might be one of the most widely used method to protect the data held on file servers, Virtual Private Networks (VPN) and databases. Encryption helps to reduce the likelihood of enterprise data loss or data breach incident. Oftentimes, the data security breaches are a result of not having the appropriate procedures in place to prevent employee mischief. Company found that information technology folks in their company doing the work don't have security background checks but they're given access to the systems. So we find that a lot of security breaches are done by insiders which should have been prevented.
Some of the renowned data breach protection company provides data breach solutions, risk assessment, forensic investigation and fully managed victim identity restoration to corporations, financial institutions, and government agencies. They have protect millions of individuals from identity theft and authored the Identity Crime Victim's Bill of Rights.
Any organization that fails to achieve full compliance which suffers a data breach could face substantial imputed and unnecessary costs, class action litigation, and enforcement actions by state or federal authorities. Companies that take proactive measures by resorting resources with extensive expertise in privacy, compliance, and breach response helps to minimize the risk of a security incident and the associated costs. Regulations aside, a data breach can hurt an organization's credibility and can carry huge medical and financial risks to the people whose data is lost.
Breach Prevention program could help organizations to review all aspects of PHI security and data breach readiness, including and not limited to the below:
• Proprietary Risk Self-Assessment - a powerful analytical tool which help detecting existing data risk hot-spots and determining how well protected the exposures are at current security levels. • Privacy Awareness Training Courseware helps organizations to meet the requirement for ongoing education for their employees who must and are handling sensitive personal information. • Incident Response Plan is designed for facility decision makers in the process of identifying roles/responsibilities and organizing policies/procedures for responding to a data breach. • Legislative Updates ensure clients stay up-to-date on data breach notification and related privacy regulations.
At times, forensic accountants could be at risk of breaching privacy and confidentiality laws unwittingly, as they investigate problems ranging from fraud to insolvency which need to access corporate information. Forensic accountants who look at personal information stored electronically could be breaking data protection rules, according to some ID breaching experts. Therefore the first and foremost importance is the caution to check with legal counsel. Check with the company's legal counsel and a local attorney on state and federal laws before launching a financial crime investigation.
All these are necessary when certain investigative measures need to be taken that may violate employee workplace rights or peoples' constitutional rights. There are also special procedures for the gathering and handling of financial crime evidence. This is a highly complex area of crime-fighting where an investigation can easily backfire, and you might be exposing yourself and the organization to possibly more harm than existed before you launched the investigation. Therefore a forensic accountant should avoid breaking the rules while they are out there investigating crime cases found breaking some rules.
Data Breaching is one of the hot "white collar criminal " probably for the past four years. A lot of legislation has been passed, and data security breaches have become a main street type exposure, so clients are a little more aware that a breach could occur as compared to previous. With the increasing business over the Internet and the presence of Wi-Fi (wireless Internet access), it's virtually impossible to secure all of that information. In other words, though Electronic evidence can be dynamite, the casual nature of email can expose critical evidence.
Encryption might be one of the most widely used method to protect the data held on file servers, Virtual Private Networks (VPN) and databases. Encryption helps to reduce the likelihood of enterprise data loss or data breach incident. Oftentimes, the data security breaches are a result of not having the appropriate procedures in place to prevent employee mischief. Company found that information technology folks in their company doing the work don't have security background checks but they're given access to the systems. So we find that a lot of security breaches are done by insiders which should have been prevented.
Some of the renowned data breach protection company provides data breach solutions, risk assessment, forensic investigation and fully managed victim identity restoration to corporations, financial institutions, and government agencies. They have protect millions of individuals from identity theft and authored the Identity Crime Victim's Bill of Rights.
Any organization that fails to achieve full compliance which suffers a data breach could face substantial imputed and unnecessary costs, class action litigation, and enforcement actions by state or federal authorities. Companies that take proactive measures by resorting resources with extensive expertise in privacy, compliance, and breach response helps to minimize the risk of a security incident and the associated costs. Regulations aside, a data breach can hurt an organization's credibility and can carry huge medical and financial risks to the people whose data is lost.
Breach Prevention program could help organizations to review all aspects of PHI security and data breach readiness, including and not limited to the below:
• Proprietary Risk Self-Assessment - a powerful analytical tool which help detecting existing data risk hot-spots and determining how well protected the exposures are at current security levels. • Privacy Awareness Training Courseware helps organizations to meet the requirement for ongoing education for their employees who must and are handling sensitive personal information. • Incident Response Plan is designed for facility decision makers in the process of identifying roles/responsibilities and organizing policies/procedures for responding to a data breach. • Legislative Updates ensure clients stay up-to-date on data breach notification and related privacy regulations.
At times, forensic accountants could be at risk of breaching privacy and confidentiality laws unwittingly, as they investigate problems ranging from fraud to insolvency which need to access corporate information. Forensic accountants who look at personal information stored electronically could be breaking data protection rules, according to some ID breaching experts. Therefore the first and foremost importance is the caution to check with legal counsel. Check with the company's legal counsel and a local attorney on state and federal laws before launching a financial crime investigation.
All these are necessary when certain investigative measures need to be taken that may violate employee workplace rights or peoples' constitutional rights. There are also special procedures for the gathering and handling of financial crime evidence. This is a highly complex area of crime-fighting where an investigation can easily backfire, and you might be exposing yourself and the organization to possibly more harm than existed before you launched the investigation. Therefore a forensic accountant should avoid breaking the rules while they are out there investigating crime cases found breaking some rules.
6 Steps to Having Computer Forensic Examination Done
A computer forensic examination consists of the preservation, identification, extraction, and interpretation of documents that have been at one point stored on a computer. Whether you are looking for evidence from a crime or are simply looking to find information about your spouse, a Certified Computer Forensic Examiner can perform such an examination with six steps.
The first step the examiner will take is establishing some chain of custody. It is important that examiner knows where any items related to the investigation will be located at all times. Many times places like a safe or cabinet is best to secure the items.
Next, the examiner will catalog all relevant information including active, archival and latent data. Any kind of information that has been deleted can be recovered if at all possible and any encrypted information or information that is password-protected will be identified. During this process, an exact copy of the hard drive image will be made and the image is then authenticated against the original to ensure it is the exact copy.
From there, additional sources of information will be obtained depending on how the computer forensic examination is going and what the circumstances are. Some additional sources of information that may need to be obtained include firewall logs, proxy servicer logs, Kerberos server logs or sign-in sheets.
The fourth step during the examination is analyze and interpret all of the information in order to determine what can be used as evidence. The examiner will look for both exculpatory and inculpatory evidence to solidify a decision. In order to ensure the accuracy of the decision, encrypted files and password protected files will be identified.
After collecting all of the necessary information and evidence needed with the case, a written report will then be submitted to the client with whatever findings and comments the investigators have.
Finally, the investigator will provide expert witness testimony at a deposition, trial, or some other form of legal proceeding. Keep in mind that you cannot perform a computer forensic examination on your own. A certified examiner uses licensed equipment that will prevent tainting the evidence and ultimately ensure its validity in court.
The first step the examiner will take is establishing some chain of custody. It is important that examiner knows where any items related to the investigation will be located at all times. Many times places like a safe or cabinet is best to secure the items.
Next, the examiner will catalog all relevant information including active, archival and latent data. Any kind of information that has been deleted can be recovered if at all possible and any encrypted information or information that is password-protected will be identified. During this process, an exact copy of the hard drive image will be made and the image is then authenticated against the original to ensure it is the exact copy.
From there, additional sources of information will be obtained depending on how the computer forensic examination is going and what the circumstances are. Some additional sources of information that may need to be obtained include firewall logs, proxy servicer logs, Kerberos server logs or sign-in sheets.
The fourth step during the examination is analyze and interpret all of the information in order to determine what can be used as evidence. The examiner will look for both exculpatory and inculpatory evidence to solidify a decision. In order to ensure the accuracy of the decision, encrypted files and password protected files will be identified.
After collecting all of the necessary information and evidence needed with the case, a written report will then be submitted to the client with whatever findings and comments the investigators have.
Finally, the investigator will provide expert witness testimony at a deposition, trial, or some other form of legal proceeding. Keep in mind that you cannot perform a computer forensic examination on your own. A certified examiner uses licensed equipment that will prevent tainting the evidence and ultimately ensure its validity in court.
Microsoft Exam 70-214
For implementing and managing security in a Windows 2000 network infrastructure, Microsoft has started an exam by the name of Exam 70-214. This exam is beneficial for people who are holding jobs in medium to large scale companies of the IT industry. Post clearing this exam, candidates get an asset on their resumes, and are respected in the field, and in the job market as well for their expertise. Like most other Microsoft's exams, clearing this one too leads to the candidate gaining a MCP (Microsoft Certified Professional) status. Besides, elective credits are also given. One elective credit goes towards MCSA (Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator) on Microsoft Windows 2000 certification, while the other one goes towards the MCSE (Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer) on Windows 2000 certification.
Candidates appearing for the 70-214 Exam are expected to be able to successfully accomplish various technical tasks, for which it is advised that they are thorough both the theoretical as well as the practical aspects of the subject. The skills that are tested include implementing, managing and troubleshooting baseline security; implementing, managing and troubleshooting service packs and security updates; implementing, managing and troubleshooting security- enhanced communication channels; configuring, managing and troubleshooting authentication and remote access security; implementing and managing a public key infrastructure (PKI) and Encrypting File System (EFS); and monitoring and responding to security incidents.
For preparation of the 70-214 Exam Microsoft offers classroom training to people. Unfortunately, there is no option of e-learning for this exam. Candidates planning to take this exam can also go in for Microsoft Press Books along with a wide range of online resources to choose from. Besides, there are various Microsoft certified practice tests also available online that the candidates can take in order to get themselves used to the pattern.
What Are the Benefits of Being Cisco Certified?
Cisco Microsoft systems are one of today's fastest growing IT industry and with each passing day it continuously progress. Cisco offers three types of certification like Associate, Professional and expert. Acquiring your certification is an important part towards your future endeavor, thus being Cisco certified is extremely important to be taken into consideration. In becoming certified there are many things that will come your way which will give so much benefit.
Having that piece of certification is really important in your career. We all know how important it is in applying a certain job, but on the other hand achieving your certification will make you become more confident and become a positive thinker in your self and in your job. This will surely be a value in your career when you have build up a good confidence in your self. Aside from gaining self-reliant, you will be given chances to earn high salary because being certified opens your way towards better job opportunity.
With the certification you have in hand, it will simply imply you to have a good basic pay. Every employee is being measured according to its ability, and having that certification proves your worth as an expert person in your field. Aside from having these benefits, henceforth you will be given more duties and responsibilities in your chosen career. They look at you that you are one step ahead of them, thus giving you more work will simply give them the proof that you can finish your work easily and accurately. Once you have shown them your skills and on how good you are to do your work, you will be acknowledge by your clients and colleagues that you really deserve being a certified one.
The most important benefit that you get being a Cisco certified is the knowledge you receive and skills you develop and you learned that will take you to the next level of your career. In such way, more opportunities will come in your career as you step to the next level of your expertise.
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