GREEN TIPS

SOME INTERESTING RECYCLING FACTS: 

There is no shortage of paper.  No matter where you purchase it, there seems to be an abundance - cartons and reams of it everywhere.  Perhaps because of this and the ease at which we can replenish our inidividual supplies, it makes it way too easy to forget that there are any adverse ramifications to our unrestrained usage.

The statistics below really help to put things into perspective.

*The average U.S. office worker goes through 10,000 sheets of copy paper a year!

*Forests are being cut and trees are being felled at an unimaginable rate of 100 acres per minute!  All this to produce paper, which is normally used and disposed of without much thought.

*A plant takes a minimum of 15 to 20 years to grow into a tree, but takes less than 10 minutes to be felled.  On average, one tree can yield about 700 paper grocery bags, which will be consumed in less than an hour by a supermarket!

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Internet Tips

1. Advertise through the search engines and track your results.

2. Strengthen customer relationships and generate more sales by sending out an email newsletter.

3. Create great content and tools that will get linked to by other sites.

4. Create relationships with bloggers and website owners. Give insightful comments on their blog posts and begin conversations on social media sites.

5. Offer free redistributable downloads with your branding as a viral marketing tool.

Cecile@ceocomputers.com

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Web 2.0 Sites

Try these sites and email us to let us know how you used them.  Send your comments to cecile@ceocomputers.com

Computer Security 

Computer security, according to Wikipedia, is a branch of computer technology known as information security as applied to computers and networks.

In this article, when we discuss computer security we are talking about the protection of data, networks and computing power. The protection of data (information security) is the most important. The protection of networks is important to prevent loss of server resources as well as to protect the network from being used for illegal purposes.

This past year, many large organizations have had their data systems compromised - even it is reported that the CIA was invaded, but no relevant data was taken.  Sony and CitiBank both reported problems with security. 

The objective of computer security includes protection of information and property from theft, corruption, or natural disaster, while allowing the information and property to remain accessible and productive to its intended users. Data must also be potected from publication, tampering or collapse by unauthorized activities or untrustworthy individuals and unplanned events respectively.

Backups are a way of securing information; they are another copy of all the important computer files kept in another location. These files are kept on hard disks, CD-Rs, CD-RWs, and tapes. Suggested locations for backups are a fireproof, waterproof, and heat proof safe, or in a separate, offsite location than that in which the original files are contained. Some individuals and companies also keep their backups in safe deposit boxes inside bank vaults.

Basic Security Terminology

Authentication techniques can be used to ensure that communication end-points are who they say they are.

Firewalls can provide some protection from online intrusion.

Access authorization restricts access to a computer to group of users through the use of authentication systems. These systems can protect either the whole computer - such as through an interactive logon screen - or individual services, such as an FTP server. There are many methods for identifying and authenticating users, such as passwords, identification cards, and, more recently, smart cards and biometric systems.

Anti-virus software consists of computer programs that attempt to identify, thwart and eliminate computer viruses and other malicious software (malware).

Honey pots are computers that are either intentionally or unintentionally left vulnerable to attack by crackers. They can be used to catch crackers or fix vulnerabilities.

Intrusion-detection systems can scan a network for people that are on the network but who should not be there or are doing things that they should not be doing, for example trying a lot of passwords to gain access to the network.

Pinging The ping application can be used by potential crackers to find if an IP address is reachable. If a cracker finds a computer, they can try a port scan to detect and attack services on that computer.

Social engineering awareness keeps employees aware of the dangers of social engineering and/or having a policy in place to prevent social engineering can reduce successful breaches of the network and servers.

Ask the Professor - Cecile Bendavid

Professor of Computer Science - California State University Northridge and Director of New Business Development for CEO Computers.

Q. Why are they called "firewalls?"

A.  When houses were first being packed densely into cities and were attached to each other with common walls, fire was a huge hazard because wood (the most common construction material) burns easily.  To stop this tragedy, builders started building common walls of nonflammable or slow-burning material to stop (or slow) the spread of fire.  These came to be known as "firewalls."

Q. What kinds of firewalls are there?

A. Firewalls can be configured using software or hardware devices.  (Both is usually necessary for maximum protection). 

Q.  What software is used?

A.  The most popular are Norton Personal Firewall, McAfee Firewall, ZoneAlarm, and BlackICE PC Protection. 

Q. What are hardware firewalls?

A. Manufacturers such as Linksys, D-Link, and Netgear make routers that can double as firewalls. 

Information for the above article was obtained from Terminology in Action, Fifth Edition, Alan Evans, Kendall Martin, and Mary Anne Poatsy

   For more information, call Cecile at CEO Computers at 818 501-2281.

The Future Is Here!

Check out this amazing video of 3D printing.  Yes, you read that correctly - actual 3D printing!  The replicator from Star Trek comes to life -  in our lifetime!  Seriously, it's like something straight out of a futuristic Sci-Fi movie!  It is absolutely amazing and worth watching until the very end!

Click here