Network support contracts are most commonly provided in the workplace to help maximize the efficiency of daily operations and also help professionals best keep their technology up and running. But students and others not using laptops for business purposes also need to be assured that their networking capabilities are insured. For these people, it may only take a few simple steps to get the peace of mind of a network support contract.
Keep Computers Running Under All Circumstances
A well-plotted and stable network will keep you connected at all times. The purpose of network support contracts is to keep your network running all the time, uninterrupted. If you have a reliable network infrastructure, you will be able to get to files you left at work off-site, any day and at any time. Using professional consultants as part of network support contracts allows companies to give employees access from anywhere. Having these consultants accessible to not only implement but also monitor these networking capabilities will help promote business growth and peace of mind.
Personal Networks
People using their computers at home often want to set up personalized networking options, but find themselves feeling alone sometimes when it comes to the network support contracts they find to help them. No matter how skilled you are at navigating the process of not only setting up but maintaining these at-home networks, you have probably found yourself in need of the extra support provided by a high quality network support contract.
Looking For Online Support
Those in academic and government arenas will typically get free network support contracts that help them connect to offices across the campus or between departments. Other people trying to set up networking capabilities can do speedy searches for network support contracts that will help them find Internet resources to trouble shoot when they need immediate or simple help. Online support contracts can provide a wonderful way to get personalized help particularly when balanced with in-person guidance.
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By: Joshua Feinberg
Posts Tagged ‘Network Infrastructure’
Network Security – Penetration Testing Explained
December 23rd, 2009
A penetration test (in the IT vernacular referred to as a “pen test”) is also known as “ethical hacking”, and this network security tool provides an essential function in vulnerability assessment. By actively seeking out and deploying attacks and penetration efforts against your network, you are more likely to uncover vulnerabilities and be able to take action to block holes in your security and pre-empt attacks on the perimeter defences.
Penetration testing includes both script-based and human-based attacks on the network in order to seek out and exploit vulnerabilities. The difference between this and say, criminal hackers looking to cause mischief or theft of data, is that you control the “attacker”. The “attacker” reports back to you on whether they were successful and if so, how to stop such an attack from being successful in real-life. Penetration testing will reveal network security holes but more than this, it will be able to provide you with a realistic risk assessment including the impact on your business should such an attack succeed. Knowing what such an attack may cost your business will provide you with the ability to quantify the business risk and determine whether you do in fact, need to implement a solution.
“Black Box Testing” involves a penetration test where the attackers have no knowledge of the network infrastructure. They are working from what a real, external hacker would be using – online connectivity and any human intelligence or reliance on human nature, in order to discover vulnerabilities.
“White Box Testing” involves attackers who have full knowledge of the network infrastructure and are seeking out vulnerabilities and scenarios to take advantage of perceived weaknesses.
An intermediate form exists, known as “Grey Box Testing” where some knowledge is provided, known also as “partial disclosure”.
The aim of these differing forms of testing is to compel imaginative ways to hack into the network, compromising network security. While having full knowledge of a system may lead the ethical attacker to use an obvious defect in network security, they may pass over and completely miss a less obvious but more severe vulnerability. Blind or black box testing does not allow for precise testing of certain components of the network because they don’t know how the network is established but, this form of testing does lead to more imaginative attack scenarios being developed and hence, a more realistic prospect of stopping a real attacker with mischief in mind.
Penetration testing should be a regular scheduled activity and performed at least once a year and every time the network infrastructure is added to or changed. Penetration tests are also a serious component of risk audits conducted to determine network operation and integrity. Script-based penetration testing is relatively inexpensive because of the level of automation involved and is eminently suitable for white box testing. Black box testing, on the other hand, is labor intensive because it involves real people emulating real life hackers and such a penetration test will involve more than simply running an online attack against the network, for instance, rummaging through company trash for computer information, and this dramatically increases the cost.
By: Lawrence Reaves
