You may have heard the term Virtual Private Server before– you may even be using one– but do you understand the reason why or the technology behind it?  Here’s what Virtual Private Servers do and why companies are increasingly moving toward adopting them:

First, let’s define a Virtual Private Server (VPS). VPS’s are also referred to on occasion as VDS’s or Virtual Dedicated Servers. It’s a method that’s been used for years on mainframe computers and more recently became popular for smaller, enterprise-driven servers.  It allows a physical server computer to be partitioned, or divided, into multiple servers.  Each of these virtual private servers has the ability to run its own operating system, be independently rebooted as needed, and can run on its own dedicated machine.  The benefits are obvious. If one server goes down, or needs maintenance, the rest can continue to run normally.

Because VPS’s are part of a larger server, they’re ideal for web hosting and dedicated hosting services because users can share software but pay less than they would for a physical dedicated server.  And because each VPS runs its own operating system, customers who are sharing the physical server have superuser-level access to that operating system which would not be possible without the partitioning.

There are drawbacks, however, to use of a VPS.  Certain software has trouble running in a virtualized environment, specifically some anti-virus and firewall software which compromises system security. Another problem is VPS processor time, disk space, and RAM. Because multiple  virtualization clients are typically running on a single

On May 29, 2009, President Obama made an announcement regarding the U.S. government’s role in ensuring cybersecurity for the country as a whole, businesses operating within the U.S., and American citizens in the Cyberspace Policy Review:
Assuring a Trusted and Resilient Information
and Communications Infrastructure. The 76-page document stated,

The globally-interconnected digital information and communications infrastructure known as “cyberspace”underpins almost every facet of modern society and provides critical support for the U.S. economy, civil infrastructure, public safety, and national security. This technology has transformed the global economy and connected people in ways never imagined. Yet, cybersecurity risks pose some of the most serious economic and national security challenges of the 21st Century. The digital infrastructure’s architecture was driven more by considerations of interoperability and efficiency than of security. Consequently, a growing array of state and non-state actors are compromising, stealing, changing, or destroying information and could cause critical disruptions to U.S. systems. At the same time, traditional telecommunications and Internet networks continue to converge, and other infrastructure sectors are adopting the Internet as a primary means of interconnectivity. The United States faces the dual challenge of maintaining an environment that promotes efficiency, innovation, economic prosperity, and free trade while also promoting safety, security, civil liberties, and privacy rights.1 It is the fundamental responsibility of our government to address strategic vulnerabilities in cyberspace and ensure that the United States and the world realize the full potential of the information technology revolution.

But how can you, as a business owner, provide security for both your business’ data as well as keep confidential information about your vendors, customers, and employees private? There are several ways. Among them are: the use of one or more members of the Cisco PIX Security Appliance Series. PIX delivers cost effective, easy to redistribute user and application policy implementation, multi-vector attack protection, and secure connectivity services. Cisco is the leader in security-featured IT networking equipment. The Cisco Self-Defending Network enables IT organizations to protect critical assets, enforce business policies, and rapidly identify and respond to evolving threats while easing the administrative burden of IT making the total cost of ownership of Cisco network devices lower.

If you’re not an I.T. wiz, some of the descriptions of the router security features might seem more like a foreign language than anything aimed at helping you decipher which integrated services router is right for your company. We’re here to help you understand the security features of a router by breaking them down for you one at a time. Let’s talk about Worms.

First off, what is a Worm?

It’s not the kind you go fishing with, although phishing is another computer contaminant you need to protect your network from. In this case, a worm is a form of Malware that gets its name because of the way it spreads from computer to computer, network to network. Unlike a virus which infects executable software and can only spread when the software is run, a worm transmits itself over a network in an effort to infect all computers on the network. Like a virus, it can carry what is called a payload which performs other actions which are usually malicious and destructive.

Protecting your network against Worms is important if you want to maintain network security. Because a Worm is a standalone contaminant, and doesn’t rely on the user choosing to operate a program before it clones itself, attaches to your contact list, and spreads, Worms tend to spread very quickly. If one computer in a network has a Worm, it is pretty much a given that all the networked PCs have it as well. Worms can launch distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks and even initiate remote logins to your computer. The best way to protect your network from a Worm is to purchase anti-Worm software from a reliable company. Because these companies constantly test dummy networks to identify Worms and other Malware, and once a protection method is devised, can rush it to you instantly via updates, anti-Worm software significantly reduces the risk of network infection.

If you’re not an I.T. wiz, some of the descriptions of the router security features might seem more like a foreign language than anything aimed at helping you decipher which integrated services router is right for your company. We’re here to help you understand the security features of a router by breaking them down for you one at a time. Let’s talk about Botnets.

First off, what is a Botnet?

A Botnet is a collection of computers that are all infected by “bots.” Considered one of the top security threats to any network, an attack of software robots can morph your healthy network into ‘botnet’ and a botnet can host fraudulent websites, steal data, and participate in Denial of Service attacks that can render an entire network useless—at least to you. Once a botnet is created, the system of hijacked computers can then be controlled by the command of a “botmaster.”

One of the most destructive worms to date is the Storm Worm. Spread by spam, no one is sure how many computers are infected with Storm (it could be anywhere from 1 million to 25 million), but it is one of the largest, most powerful botnets ever. Because it has the power of so many computers behind it, it is believed that Storm has the ability to cripple any Website that exists.

Botnets are capable of exposing their host PCs to a plethora of internet threats like spyware, adware, Denial of Service attacks, and phishing. Because they come in so many forms, to protect your network, you need something that will recognize each of these forms as bad and kick them off the network before they do any harm. A simple firewall won’t cut it. To detect malware and mitigate it, it’s important to install not only anti-malware tools, but a reliable IDS and IPS.

If you’re not an I.T. wiz, some of the descriptions of the router security features on our site might seem more like a foreign language than anything aimed at helping you decipher which integrated services router is right for your company. We’re here to help you understand the security features of a router by breaking them down for you one at a time. Let’s talk about L2TP.

What is L2TP?

L2TP stands for ‘Layer Two Tunneling Protocol.’ L2TP is a method that tunneling—which is a way to keep data secure as it’s being transmitted—uses. First, you need to understand what tunneling is. Simply, tunneling is a method of moving data from one place to another. When data is tunneled, it is broken up into smaller packets and then each packet is encrypted with a tunneling encryption before it’s sent to the recipient. The additional layer of encryption and the fact that it’s being sent in small pieces instead of one big chunk, makes tunneling a good way to keep data secure.

L2TP is an even more secure way of sending data. Most agree it is the safest way because it takes the great method of tunneling and makes it even better.

Layer Two Tunneling Protocol was first proposed by Cisco Systems—a leader in the I.T. hardware manufacturing world. L2TP is now industry-standard. It can be used to set up tunnels across intervening networks. Basically, that means that users can remotely run programs – even those dependent on specific network protocols – using L2TP. For example, when a customer online in Boston wants to send her credit card information over the internet to Company X, Company X’s server breaks her credit card information down into packets, sends them through the tunnel, and then once it’s received a heading on each packet routes it to the appropriate place. Once the packets are in the right place (say to only one endpoint like accounts receivable instead of everyone in the company), they are decoded and the customer’s credit card info can now be used to make a purchase.