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2011 Technology Update

2011 Technology Update. Mike Vanbuskirk, Tech Specialties. Business cat…. PC HARDWARE. Desktops, laptops, and printers… Oh My!. Is the PC Dead?. No! Despite what the tablet/phone people want you to believe, they are not. What do you think Apple uses to do its accounting? 

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2011 Technology Update

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  1. 2011 Technology Update Mike Vanbuskirk, Tech Specialties

  2. Business cat…

  3. PC HARDWARE Desktops, laptops, and printers… Oh My!

  4. Is the PC Dead? • No! • Despite what the tablet/phone people want you to believe, they are not. • What do you think Apple uses to do its accounting?  • Desktops, laptops, and servers are still integrals pieces of business infrastructure.

  5. State of Hardware: 2011 • What’s important: • CPU • RAM • Hard Drive • Graphics • Peripherals

  6. CPU • Intel and AMD are the two primary desktop/laptop CPU manufacturers • Intel currently holds the performance crown(since 2006) • Most OEMs (Dell, HP, Lenovo etc..) offer primarily Intel

  7. Which CPU Should I Get? • For desktops: A quad-core of at least 2.0 GHz. Core i5/i7-2xxx • For laptops: A dual-core or quad-core of at least 2.0 GHz. Core i5/i7-2xxx • Modern software is relying more and more on multiple cores vs. raw speed to handle tasks quicker

  8. RAM • RAM prices are extremely low right now. • Great time to upgrade older machines that could benefit from more RAM. • New machines: 4GB of DDR3 Dual-Channel RAM AT MINIMUM • Memory is cheap. It improves performance. You have no reason not to buy more.

  9. But wait… • Systems with 32-bit Operating Systems (99% of XP installs, some Vista/7) can only see or use ~4GB of RAM. • 64-bit systems(Practically all new systems sold with Windows 7) can address up to 128TB of RAM. • Sweet spot? 8-16GB of RAM.

  10. Hard Drives • Thailand Trouble: Massive monsoons/flooding in Thailand • In a brilliant display of supply chain management, practically entire hard drive industry manufacturing takes place in Thailand, including sub-components needed to build them. • Expected supply issues through Q1 2012

  11. That’s not good….

  12. What does it mean? $90 to $220 in about 2 weeks! Data courtesy of: http://www.camelegg.com

  13. What does it mean for ME? • OEMs like Dell and HP buy in large bulk, and are contractually guaranteed a certain number of units for sales and repair/maintenance. • Their pricing hasn’t changed much YET. • If you are looking to purchase a computer prior to end of FY, the sooner is certainly the better.

  14. What about SSD? • Solid State Drives. Imagine a drive comprised entirely of flash memory (like a really big thumbdrive). • NOT affected by Thailand issues (NAND industry based mostly in Taiwan). • Still high ratio of $ cost / GB. OEMs charge a LOT for them in new systems.

  15. SSD cont. • Advantages: • FAST. No moving parts and flash memory make for a VERY fast drive. That means faster boots and application opening. • GREEN. No moving parts means reduced energy consumption. Especially at idle (important for laptops!) • DURABLE. Not to beat a dead horse, but no moving parts means nothing sensitive to break i.e. spindles, heads etc…

  16. Not so fast! • Disadvantages: • EXPENSIVE: The flooding issue has evened out prices at online retailers, but expect to pay a hefty premium on a prebuilt system. • NO BACKWARDS COMPATIBILITY: SSDs require certain functions only available in modern OS’es like Windows 7 to maintain their speed. Performance will degrade over time with XP. • DEGRADE?: SSDs have a limited number of write cycles (5-7 years). Functions like TRiM and Wear Leveling can help this immensely, but requires OS support.

  17. Bet You Didn’t Know.. • NEVER, EVER, EVER, DEFRAG A SOLID STATE DRIVE • EVER • Remember, limited write cycles. • Defragmentation is basically a massive write/re-write festival. • Could destroy ability of drive to accept writes

  18. Graphics • Like CPU’s, 2 players in desktop/laptop: • Nvidia • AMD (formerly ATI) The main point to remember is that most office work will NOT use the graphics card too heavily. They are most heavily tasked when used for CAD, Video/3D, Gaming, and Parallel number crunching.

  19. Do I Need a Graphics Card Then? • Yes! • Modern OS’es will use the Graphics card for some of the eye-candy (not all of which can be turned off) • If you want to utilize multiple monitors, graphics cards are a MUST. • 256-512MB of Video RAM. Don’t spend too much

  20. Peripherals…. “No, that probably won’t work with Windows 7…..”

  21. Realistic Expectations  • You didn’t think you could just upgrade the computer and keep the original Gutenberg back there did you? • Windows 7 is a drastic improvement in terms of compatibility and what it will detect right out of the box. • Doesn’t mean EVERYTHING will work. Check to see if the manufacturer has updated drivers. If not, it’s time to shop for a new one.

  22. Driver Gotcha • Some manufacturers do not provide proper 64-bit support. • This seems to be a particular issue with scanners. • Do research before settling on a specific brand. Make sure you aren’t dead in the water after an expensive upgrade.

  23. Questions?

  24. Operating Systems and Software Or, “How I learned to stop worrying and love Windows”

  25. So what’s the story? • Many have already upgraded to Windows 7. • Microsoft will be discontinuing support for XP April, 2014. • Some newer software/hardware not compatible with XP regardless. • Newer versions of Internet Explorer (9+) require Windows 7.

  26. But why should I upgrade? • Security. • Newer software receives full development/dollars attention from the creator/s. • Less likely that a security hole/exploit will go un-noticed or un-patched for very long. • Older software no longer patched. HACKERS STILL ACTIVELY SEEK OUT OLD OSes!!!

  27. What should I get? • Windows 7 Professional, 64-bit (might also be listed as x64) • ALWAYS PROFESSIONAL VERSION. • Home Versions CAN NOT be joined to a domain (VERY important for a server network)

  28. Other Operating Systems • Linux • Apple OSX • FreeBSD • Solaris

  29. Software • We know the major players: • Microsoft • Adobe • Intuit • Symantec Important to keep them updated and be aware of vulnerabilities (ESPECIALLY ADOBE, more on this later)

  30. Other Options • There are a lot of FREE options for software that are as good or better than the “big guys” • PDF: SumatraPDF for reading, Bullzip PDF for printing • DEFRAGMENTING: Auslogics Disk Defrag (faster) • ZIP FILES: 7-Zip. • UNINSTALL: Revo Uninstaller (PERMANENTLY gets rid of old programs)

  31. Additional Apps – • KeePass • LastPass • Secunia PSI • Malware Bytes Anti-Malware This is security oriented software covered later in the presentation

  32. Questions?

  33. Security “The user’s going to pick dancing pigs over security every time” – Bruce Schneier

  34. Schneieris a smart guy… • Security expert • Runs http://www.schneier.com/ • Also said: “The mantra of any good security engineer is: 'Security is a not a product, but a process.' It's more than designing strong cryptography into a system; it's designing the entire system such that all security measures, including cryptography, work together.”

  35. The Process • You should not view security as a “product”. • You’re not EVER going to be safe just because you have anti-virus installed, or any other piece of software/hardware. • Security means the whole picture, a “process”. User behavior, network security, password security, physical security etc…

  36. Quick! Assess yourself! • Do you have a firewall? Is it set-up correctly? • Are your passwords 8 characters or longer? Can I guess them by looking at your Facebook profile? • If Auditors demanded a record of user activity on your network i.e. “did Bob access the GenCorp file?” RIGHT NOW, could you provide it to them? • When did you last update Windows? Adobe? • Is your WiFi Secured? (Hint: WEP is NOT secure)

  37. How did you do? • Firewall? Most modern routers have a basic firewall. • Good, because hackers are likely probing your network RIGHT NOW for vulnerabilities/open ports. • Did you change the default username of “admin” and default password of “1234”?

  38. How did you do? cont. • Passwords: Modern Proof-Of-Concept attacks have shown that 7-character passwords can be broken in sub-5 minute range. • If the attacker can guess your password through readily available info, they don’t even need to crack it. • You didn’t use that same password for your online banking, medical insurance, stock fund, and PayPal account, did you?

  39. How did you do? cont. • Auditing/File Access: Personally identifying(PID) documentation of a client has been stolen/deleted by a disgruntled employee. • Can you prove Who? How? When? • Were there controls already in place to prevent an incident?

  40. How did you do? cont. • Updates: Did you update Windows 7 yesterday (11/8/11) to patch the 4 vulnerabilities, one marked “critical”? • Is your Adobe up to date? (IMPORTANT) Java? Flash? • Have you stopped using older programs no longer supported/patched by companies?

  41. How did you do? cont. • WiFi: Most Wireless routers are set up with default admin passwords. • Also set up with no wireless security or WEP. • WEP is no longer considered secure and can be broken with easily acquired software (I can show you where to legally download it right now) • Need at least WPA2

  42. Network Security • Better to have a dedicated firewall/router, separate from your modem and WiFi Access Point • Eliminates Single-Point-Of-Failure • More features/more powerful

  43. Example Notice this “wall” that protects your internal network

  44. Other considerations • Establish a security policy. Detail preventative and reactive measures. • Have your network checked for vulnerabilities. Also known as “Pentesting”. • Have a TESTED and VALID backup and restore procedure if your data is either compromised or in jeopardy (more on this later).

  45. Disaster Recovery • I consider this security! • Is your data REGULARLY backed up to 3 different locations? • Have you run a “disaster drill”? How quickly can you be up and running again? • How much is your data worth? • RAID IS NOT A BACKUP STRATEGY!!!!

  46. Password Security • Often overlooked security consideration. • Extremely important to have strong passwords • Difficult to accomplish. How do I keep my passwords secure without writing them down?

  47. Examples: • Visit http://howsecureismypassword.net to try it yourself. • Password “abc123” not including quotes. • One of the 20 most common passwords. Would be hacked almost instantly

  48. Try a different one… • A birthday! • Password “10/11/80” not including quotes. • It would take a desktop PCabout 33 minutes to hack your password • Would be done before lunch is over

  49. We’ll show them! • Add some initials • Password “10/11/80gj” not including quotes • It would take a desktop PCabout 32 years to hack your password • Now we’re talking! Once you get over 8 characters, time required to crack grows exponentially • Remember though, I said “crack”. That password is still EASY to figure out with practically no effort.

  50. Best Case • Multiple words, numbers, and symbols • Password “Refer@11myc@ll$” not including quotes. • It would take a desktop PCabout 2 trillion years to hack your password • Probably not many hackers capable of waiting longer than the lifespan of the known universe • The password uses multiple words, numbers, and symbols, and would not be easily figured out using online information i.e. Facebook

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