July 2010
In this issue:

Welcome to the third edition of the JW Secure Informer, our bi-monthly newsletter. This is an opportunity to share what’s on our radar, specifically with respect to enterprise network security, but also regarding IT and business more generally.

The Informer is intended to be useful content and good for a quick read. So if it’s just clutter in your inbox, we’ve failed, and I hope you’ll let us know.

As I’m writing this, I’ve just returned from the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference (WPC) in Washington, D.C. It was a great trip, and I’m already looking forward to next year’s event in Los Angeles.

The big theme at WPC this year was cloud computing – that is, outsourced IT infrastructure which offers efficient scale-up and scale-down. One of the most interesting announcements I heard was the Windows Azure Platform Appliance. The Azure appliance is intended to be a transition technology: it will allow companies to start migrating their line of business application development to the Azure platform, but not require them to use Microsoft’s Azure datacenters. The distinction is important from a privacy perspective. For example, companies in regulated verticals such as healthcare and banking, and especially those based overseas, may not be able to take advantage of US-based application and infrastructure hosting due to data sovereignty laws. However, deployment of a device such as the Azure appliance allows these companies to invest in the latest software development technologies, host their applications onsite, and wait either for the laws to catch-up or for new local datacenters to be built.

Two more important themes in cloud computing: connectivity and auditing. Check out an article I recently co-authored, entitled Compliance Reporting: First Step in Controlling Client Cloud Access.

Conjure Up Some Virtual Magic
used with permission from the Microsoft Small Business Center

Do you remember wondering as a kid how a magician could put one scarf in a hat and then pull out ten? And wishing you could do the same, maybe with a candy bar instead of a scarf? Well, magic might seem in short supply these days, but thanks to virtualization, your childhood wish just might be possible.

Okay, full disclosure: Virtualization won't work on candy bars. But it can turn one server into many, and since servers cost a heck of a lot more than Snickers, that's a pretty neat trick.

Consider those servers sitting in the backroom. Without virtualization, each of these physical boxes is functioning as a dedicated server, meaning it is dedicated to running a particular set of applications and "client devices" (that's IT-speak for PCs and peripherals, like printers, fax machines, and scanners). With virtualization software, one physical server can become multiple "virtual" servers, each capable of independently handling its own set of applications, devices, and users.

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Wireless Networking: The Basics
used with permission from Cisco

Wireless Networking: Getting Started
Wireless networking is an essential productivity tool for today's mobile workforce. With wireless networking, you and your employees can stay connected to your company's information resources virtually anytime, anywhere.

Ready to get started with wireless networking? Begin by familiarizing yourself with the basics and benefits of having a wireless network.

Next, consider the following steps:

1. Make Sure Your PCs Are Wireless
Most laptops today have built-in wireless networking connections. If yours doesn't, you'll need to install a wireless network adapter card, which is typically inexpensive and easy to use.

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7 Ways To Defuse Angry Customers
by Jeff Wuorio
reprinted with permission from the Microsoft Small Business Center

It's the nightmare that every businessperson experiences: a shouting match with a customer or client.

Flush with frustration over something gone wrong, the client or customer flies into an uncontrollable rage. Complaints crescendo into shouts, accusations fly and, sad to say, an occasional profanity slices what little silence remains.

Although every small-business person needs a bucket of water to douse these sorts of fires, it's hard to know where to reach amid the flames. Here are seven at-the-ready responses that may help tame even the most unpleasant situation:

1. "Let's go over what's happened."
This simple phrase covers several powerful areas. For one thing, by asking your client to recount the wrong, you're forcing him to think, not just vent. That unto itself can smooth things considerably. On top of that, you're letting the other person know that you're genuinely interested in his or her version of what happened. Lastly, it deals you some time to listen and, hopefully, devise a solution to the problem at hand.

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