Cell phones these days are becoming more and more complex, but they still break down into two basic categories: Conventional Cell Phones and the Smartphone. The benefits of different types of cell phones are varied and depend on your personal and professional needs.

The Conventional Cell Phone may include such features as a flip-top, a slide-to-open feature, and sometimes, a full QWERTY keyboard. Most are compact and feature a basic keypad. These types of phones are quickly becoming the most economical choice for those whose sole purpose in buying a cell phone is making phone calls. Many of these standard phones are equipped with cameras (generally 1 megapixel) and some basic Bluetooth capabilities. This is a good choice if all you are wanting is a phone.

The Smartphone is quickly becoming the one-stop-shop for the today's on-the-go individual. Smartphones are generally equipped with internet capabilities, a QWERTY keyboard, GPS trackers, 3 megapixel cameras with zoom options, mp3 and media players that allow you to watch video and listen to music, personal calendars, organizers, and programs capable of handling complex office documents. Often, these phones feature touch screens, Wi-Fi capabilities, and voice command. These phones are optimal for someone who works from home or does not work at a desk all day, as it is easy to sync all of your work documents and keep them close at hand.

Some phones may have features of both types of phones, and with such an array of possibilities available, it is possible to find a phone that will fit your needs.

Being a QSAC (Qualified Security Assessor Company), our clients frequently ask if they can achieve their continuing PCI penetration testing requirements in-house. This depends on a few variables.

An organisation's requirement for administering a yearly external and internal penetration test that also includes application testing is covered by PCI DSS requirement 11.3. This is different than the PCI DSS 11.2 requirement that deals with an organisation's requirement for running internal and external vulnerability scans quarterly, which must be run internally or by an ASV (Approved Scanning Vendor) respectively. Each of these activities must also be performed either when changes take place in the applications, which includes upgrades, network, and infrastructure of the organisation, or at the mandated intervals. (more...)

Storage networks are predominantly used by organisations to centrally manage their data, reduce hardware costs (cost of server hardware, software, installation and maintenance) and downtime (when adding extra storage), effectively manage storage resources, and overcome computing power and storage scalability issues that the ‘independent storage for each system’ approach is affected with. These networks are regularly used to store critical information the compromise of which could affect the organisation’s competitive edge, cash-flow, profitability, legal and regulatory compliance, and corporate image.

Storage Area Networks (SANs) and Network Attached Storage (NAS) are the two types of storage networks used primarily. The two storage networks differ in various aspects; however, both these technologies were built with functionality in mind and not security, and are riddled with vulnerabilities that adversely affect the confidentiality, availability and integrity of the information stored within these networks. Serious vulnerabilities exist within these technologies that could allow unauthorised, (and in various cases) unauthenticated access to stored information. The support for IP based connections, iSCSI in SANs, and IP connections in NAS increase the accessibility but also enlarges the attack surface. (more...)

With GPS, RFID and a little fleet tracking software, your business can operate at the utmost efficiency. Your deliveries can be made on time and there will never be any question of where your company’s assets are at any given moment.

RFID (radio-frequency identification) tags can be ordered in sizes small enough to fit in inconspicuous places on all of your company vehicles. Most companies stick them on the windshield, because metal parts can reduce the distance from which the tags can be read. (more...)

Considering an MCSE? Then it's likely that it's likely you'll come into one of two categories: You could already be in IT and you need to formalise your skill set with the Microsoft qualification. Or this could be your first step into the computer world, and research demonstrates that there's a growing demand for certified networking professionals.

When looking into computer training companies, make it a policy to avoid those who reduce their costs by failing to use the current Microsoft version. This will only hamper the trainee as they will have been learning from an out-of-date syllabus which doesn't match the existing exam programme, so they'll probably fail. Don't rush into buying a course for MCSE before you feel comfortable. Look for a training company who will put effort into advising you on an appropriate training track for your requirements. (more...)

When pursuing a database design project objective, the question of scenario mapping arises often enough to be considered as a design issue. The whole idea is to bring together two environments that can only be connected by conscious effort and insight.

The business environment is the external activity that carries on in real-time transactions and the accounting language is the syntax and semantics of those transactions while the software programming that supports this business activity resides in an unfamiliar and often unnoticed world of electronic circuitry represented by several programming languages that control the operational flow of these machines. (more...)