Acorn Networks Announces AcornLink™

In response to our customers’ needs, Acorn Networks have developed an exciting new package to provide connectivity between all of your company’s computers no matter where they are in the World.

Using AcornLink™ technology a laptop user on business in New York can access her files stored on your server in London as if she were sitting at her desk in the London office. In addition AcornLink™ can provide permanent network links between different sites so that your Head Office systems can be used everywhere.

One of our clients already utilising AcornLink™ is Gordon Ramsay Holdings who depend on the technology for their multinational restaurant booking system and email services. AcornLink™ is a highly secure and reliable system and can either piggy-back on top of your existing Internet links or be built from scratch together with an SLA to suit your business needs.

Please contact us for a demonstration of how AcornLink™ can make your business work smarter.

Phishing threat highlights need for IT security support

A fresh reminder has emerged of the importance that firms must place on obtaining IT security support.
Security outfit RSA's Anti-Fraud Command Center has warned that a new phishing device could be set to target businesses in the UK.
The Universal Man-in-the-Middle Phishing Kit allows criminals to entice users in to communicating with a real website via a fraudulent URL.
The kit has been designed to allow non-IT experts the ability to engage in phishing attacks.
Marc Gaffan, director of marketing for consumer solutions at RSA, commented: "As institutions put additional online security measures in place, the fraudsters are looking at new ways of duping innocent victims and stealing information and assets.
"While these types of attacks are still considered 'next generation', we expect them to become more widespread over the course of the next 12 to 18 months."
It is thought the package is readily available for purchase on the internet and firms are being advised to be on the guard and enlist specialist IT support.

Poorly managed IT 'can damage business credibility'

Poorly managed IT services can damage a business's credibility and lose it customers, an expert has claimed.
President of Strasburg Technology, Byron Miller, claimed that in today's technologically-driven business world, successful companies knew how important it was to get IT systems and solutions right.
As well as driving profits and creating business growth, well-managed IT services made the day-to-day running of a firm more efficient and cost-effective, he explained, something which smaller businesses were increasingly recognising.
Mr Miller said that managed IT support services were a valuable asset as providers could take a 360-degree view of a firm's technology requirements and create solutions tailored to individual needs.
He said: "Tailoring IT solutions to the specific needs of a business is like giving away the keys to its future success.
"But you must work with a managed IT services provider who believes in building trust and forming a close working relationship - and who is willing to go that extra mile for a client."
Good business IT network support can be essential for a well-functioning company, something which Mr Miller agrees with, claiming that IT solutions can form a "rock solid foundation" for the success of a firm.

VanguardMS and igxglobal, inc. Team to Launch PCI-COMPLY Services to Help Retail Industry Comply with PCI Data Security Standards

MANSFIELD, Mass., Jan. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Although deadlines set by the major credit card issuers have passed, many retail merchants and service providers are still struggling with how to safeguard credit card information and ensure their own compliance with data security standards established by the industry's PCI Security Standards Council. Vanguard Managed Solutions (VanguardMS(TM)), the nation's largest independent provider of managed network and security services, announces it has teamed with igxglobal, a leader in information security services and a certified QSA (Qualified Security Assessor) and ASV (Approved Scanning Vendor), to provide PCI-COMPLY, a comprehensive portfolio of services to assist businesses in achieving and maintaining PCI standards compliance. "The pressure on retailers and service providers to demonstrate full compliance with credit card security standards is mounting," notes Karen Ayotte, Director of Marketing. "Not only are card issuers requiring stronger safeguards for cardholder data and the networks that carry this information, but today's more educated consumers are also demanding their information be better protected."
According to Barry Johnson, Director of Risk Mitigation at igxglobal, PCI compliance is a multi-step process. "The industry's security standards are quite complex, involving issues like updating security patches, ensuring non- default settings and passwords, and protection of resources that transmit, store or process credit card data. Compliance is applicable to a host of network components that includes firewalls, switchers, routers, wireless access points, and other network and security appliances. Few retailers are adequately prepared to address all this on their own."
The PCI-COMPLY portfolio from VanguardMS and igxglobal includes the following eight services:
- PCI Gap Analysis: An initial review of systems, security methodologies, processes, to identify compliance gaps and provide preliminary recommendations. - PCI Audit and Assessment Services: A comprehensive, annual compliance audit and assessment tailored to a merchants' category/transaction level, from a certified QSA (Qualified Security Assessor). - PCI External Vulnerability/Exploitation Assessment: A quarterly network scan to enable merchants and service providers to identify security vulnerabilities in their Internet access points, from a certified ASV (Approved Scanning Vendor). - Forensics and Litigation Support Services: A complete solution for investigating and documenting cyber crimes, providing evidence and critical data analysis that can be used in legal proceedings. - Change Management and Compliance Reporting Services: A comprehensive network security package that helps ensure a secure network; stringent access control measures; routine monitoring and testing of network-wide components; ongoing maintenance of an established information security policy; and the ability to accurately track and report on numerous required compliance standards. - SecureGuard Monitor & Alert/Incident Response: An important service that allows merchants to monitor, report, audit and alert on access to all system components that process, store or transmit cardholder information. - Remote Access: The distribution, setup and on-going maintenance of keys used for remote worker access including revocation of old or invalid keys, such as RSA keys. - Radius Authentication Service: A service that tracks access to management systems with critical client information, and ensures that data available on a networking device, including routers and firewalls, is accessible in an authorized manner only.
The PCI-COMPLY portfolio of services is available now from VanguardMS and igxglobal. The PCI Gap Analysis, Audit/Assessment, Vulnerability/Exploitation Assessment and Forensics/Litigation Services are priced on a per project basis, depending upon the scope of work. The Change Management, SecureGuard Monitor & Alert/Incident Response and Remote Access services are priced as a recurring monthly fee.