Dealing with Security - Is Tape Storage Obscure?

Information Week recently published a very interesting article that talked about protecting your very large data archives. The author, George Crump, suggests using tape to back up your very large files at a highly reduced rate to that of disk storage?

After all these years of converting to disk and now the cloud, is tape storage a good idea?

I say, “sure, why not?”

Why not protect yourself and your files at a fraction of the cost? It is important that in today’s society we mind our actions and spending due to the economy. Granted, tape is a bit obscure but it’s still usable. Another benefit of backing up your documents with tape is that you will be the only one with access- no one could hack into your computer and steal the information. It will be locked away in a safe or somewhere no one has access to it. Physically stealing seems a lot more difficult than online hacking these days. Until a better more efficient and cost effective way of backing up your data is figured out- bomb’s away.

To read the original article please see the May 14, 2012 edition.

Stay Tuned!

Information Security in the News

 During my adventure into learning all things related to IT and InfoSec, I have been monitoring things going on in the news in the technology industry. While my learning is primarily geared towards business to business information security, I recently stumbled upon this article about security on Facebook.

I believe that information security is important in everything we do. Everything is archived online and people are constantly trying to hack into our private lives through the Internet. Quick access to human information? Facebook! People constantly put information online and access websites through Facebook and each time they do, they put themselves at risk for being exposed.

Recently, Richard Adhikari @rawriter1 posted an article on the TechNewsWorld website, addressing the security dangers and the steps Facebook has taken to prevent them. Facebook has now incorporated URL databases to scan material and links to detect for hackers and malware. Facebook has also made available antivirus packages for users to download for free. These antivirus packages include companies such as Microsoft, McAfee, Symantec and ESET.

While this is great, users are warned against problems that may arise if the computer already has antivirus software loaded into the system. From a Mac user perspective, I am very interested in finding out more about these programs and how to stay protected online.

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Information Security and Risk

Hey there!

So to follow up on my post from last week, let’s get down and dirty with what IT Security does. Information security professionals, companies and software work hard to protect the important information of an organization, manages system changes in that organization, and incident management. IT professionals also help organizations by noting the functional goals and objectives and assisting them in attaining those goals.

Risk is the big word in the InfoSec world. The whole goal of security companies is to reduce the risk of a breach and maximize safety and confidentiality.

To minimize the risk of incidents like data breaches occurring organizations must “safeguard confidential customer information, protect against fraud, protect brand and reputation, maximize and safeguard revenue, and ensure timely and accurate financial reporting.” (p. 11, Visible Opps Security) 

The next most important aspect, to minimize security incidents, is to integrate these ideas and processes into the daily routine of the organization. If a company does not protect themselves, they increase their risk.

Follow my blog to stay updated on this journey through IT and InfoSec.

What in the World is Information Security?

As mentioned in my previous post, I have been working for a company that specializes in IT Security for enterprises. You might be asking yourself 'what is IT security'? I know I was when I began researching this company.

What I have come to understand, is that since the birth of the Internet, there are now rules and regulations that companies need to abide by. The following are examples of these Internet regulations: the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX), the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS).

The first problem companies encounter is called "Compliance." Companies need to comply with these rules and regulations of the cyber world. The second problem companies face is making security management an integral part of business (many put it on the back burner or think they are 'secure enough'). Finally, companies fail to maximize their security opportunities and face data breaches and other cyber incidents.

Stay Tuned!