►What Is A Hacker
by Monte Enbysk
used with permission from the Microsoft Small Business Center

The first thing to know about computer "hackers" is that the term itself is a point of dispute.

Many people who hack into systems without criminal intent proudly label themselves "hackers," and say they're the good guys and the bad guys should be called "crackers" or something else. "Hackers are not evil, malicious people out to damage computer systems and steal passwords. Hackers hate these kind of people," read one e-mail I got after I wrote a column about virus writers.

Others argue that "hackers" represent both good and bad guys - people who explore and "test" systems for a living or a hobby, as well as those who break into systems to embarrass or rip off companies and people. "Just like in the Wizard of Oz, there can be good witches and bad witches. In the world of hacking, it goes the same way," wrote a reader.

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The difference between a successful person and others in not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather in a lack of will.

Vince Lombardi
 

►Just for Laughs

What is the cloud all about? Does it offer different kinds of technology-based services? Is it different than enterprise computing? Is it the next big thing?

The answer to all those questions is a resounding "yes!" The cloud brings together all these things and more to create new services to solve business problems unsolved by traditional approaches.

The cloud provides a rich, new source for bringing technology-enabled services to the business. Massively scalable services no longer need to be delivered by internal or outsourced data centers. Instead, they can be delivered by cloud service providers via their vast computing resources.

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Your small-business network may be protected by firewalls, intrusion detection and other state-of-the-art security technologies. And yet, all it takes is one person's carelessness, and suddenly it's as if you have no network security at all.

Let me give you an example. In March 2006, a major financial services firm with extensive network security disclosed that one of its portable computers was stolen. The laptop contained the Social Security numbers of nearly 200,000 people. How did it happen? An employee of the firm, dining in a restaurant with colleagues, had locked the laptop in the trunk of a SUV. During dinner, one of the employee's colleagues retrieved an item from the vehicle and forgot to re-lock it. As fate would have it, there was a rash of car thefts occurring in that particular area at that particular time, and the rest is history.

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Midsized companies are moving toward an infrastructure that is optimized and responsive to help them meet new business demands. This article in our series looks at the short- and long-term benefits of cloud computing and how midsized companies can start integrating some cloud services into their existing IT environments.

In an increasingly interconnected world, the number of interactions among devices and systems is growing rapidly. As these connections multiply, businesses need to meet the demands of employees, partners and customers for greater access to systems and information. This environment places more pressure on midsized businesses and their IT resources.

By offering a scalable infrastructure and capabilities available as services, cloud computing models enable companies to realize a more dynamic infrastructure, one that can satisfy resource demands when and where they arise. Cloud models can also help businesses become more nimble and work smarter through more agile and cost-effective access to technology and information.

Businesses of any size can benefit from adopting a cloud computing approach. Larger organizations may opt for a private cloud, which holds large amounts of computing capacity behind a firewall and is typically accessed over private networks. Another option is the public cloud model, which many smaller companies find attractive because it keeps IT costs down, while keeping availability up. In a public model, data and applications are stored remotely, on hardware located at a cloud provider’s facilities, and are then accessed over the Internet.

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►Business Continuity Tip
Think locally.

A well-thought-out recovery plan takes into account multiple disaster scenarios, but it should also convey a realistic approach to preparing for the events most likely to occur in your area. For example (and to point out the obvious), a Florida company probably does not need to prepare for an ice storm, and likewise a business in Wisconsin should not focus on the effects of a hurricane. Be realistic about the threats you are prone to face, and focus your planning on those most likely to happen.