Technology News You Can Use
March 2010
In This Newsletter
Comments from the Editor
This month we feature 3 more very informative articles from Tech Committee Members. First up, Jamey Milner from VOIPHEAD writes about SIP trunking and how you can use it in to replace a traditional land line voice telephony solution. It’s a little acronym heavy, but I am sure Jamey will be glad to answer any of your questions. His contact information is at the beginning of his article. Next, Amy Horowitz from SoftwareOne clears up some misconceptions about Volume Licensing. Finally, Dave Gallant with Gallant CIS writes about securing your wireless network – have a close look at this one. I know I’ll be heading home tonight to have a look at my own network settings!
Enjoy and we’ll talk to you again in April!
Tod Bruning, M.S.
Rackspace Grant Project
Alamo Colleges
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For enterprises wanting to make full use of their installed IP-PBXs and not only communicate over IP within the enterprise, but also outside the enterprise, a SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) trunk provided by an Internet Telephony Service Provider to connect to the traditional PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) is the solution. Unlike in traditional telephony, where bundles of physical wires were once delivered from the service provider to a business, a SIP trunk allows a company to replace these traditional fixed PSTN lines with PSTN connectivity via a SIP trunking service provider on the Internet.
SIP trunks can offer significant cost-savings for enterprises, eliminating the need for local PSTN gateways, costly ISDN BRIs (Basic Rate Interfaces) or PRIs (Primary Rate Interfaces).
There are three components necessary to successfully deploy SIP trunks: a PBX (Private Branch Exchange) with a SIP-enabled trunk side, an enterprise edge device understanding SIP and an Internet telephony or SIP trunking service provider.
The PBX
In most cases, the PBX is an IP-based PBX, communicating with all endpoints over IP, It may just as well be a traditional digital or analog PBX. The sole requirement is that an interface for SIP trunking connectivity is available.
The
Enterprise
Border Element
The PBX on the
LAN
connects to the ITSP via the enterprise border element. The enterprise edge component can either be a firewall with complete support for SIP or an edge device connected to the firewall, handling the traversal of the SIP traffic.
The ITSP
On the Internet, the ITSP (Internet Telephone Service Provider) provides connectivity to the PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) for communication with mobile and fixed phones.
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Realizing
Enterprise
Wide Savings with Volume Licensing, Amy Horowitz, SoftwareOne
Simply stated, volume licensing of software makes it easier and more affordable to run software on multiple computers within a single purchasing organization. Software Publishers like Microsoft, Adobe and Symantec all feature volume licensing programs that can save your organization money. If you are currently running an IT environment over 5 PCs, you can begin to qualify for Volume Licensing and will likely realize significant savings and advantages using a volume licensing program.
By acquiring software licenses through a program like Microsoft Volume Licensing, you only pay for the software license. Boxed software, on the other hand, includes media (the CD-ROM or
DVD
), a user's guide and other packaging items. Eliminating these physical costs and purchasing in volume often reduces cost and provides more customized purchasing options and improved software management.
For some Volume Licensing programs, a Software Assurance may be available. This comprehensive maintenance offering can help you get the most out of your software investment. It combines the latest software with phone support, partner services, training, and IT tools. You can choose Software Assurance at the time of purchase and begin using your benefits immediately for the term of your license agreement.
Choosing the correct Volume Licensing program can be difficult and overwhelming at times. With 2010 being a big year for new software releases, such as Microsoft Office 2010 and Microsoft SharePoint 2010, now is the time to review your licensing agreements and make sure you are maximizing the ROI on your software.
Contact your preferred reseller today to learn more about your different volume licensing options.
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Wireless networks are EVERYWHERE now - even in most homes. They offer convenience and portability, and can be easily setup by the most novice of users. However, if wireless networks are not set up securely, you leave a HUGE security hole in your home that enables anyone with a laptop (or desktop) computer to use the Internet on your dime. With a default installation, there is virtually NO security in place! There are those among us who have no problem sharing their connectivity, but keep in mind the following
REAL
WORLD scenario before you decide to share.
The typical wireless network will broadcast its signal for about 900 feet. With an external antenna, I have personally witnessed someone connect to one from 30+ miles away! That may be extreme, but consider that you will have about a 900 foot radius in which almost anyone can access your network. If you are a typical home user these days, you have multiple computers that are networked, and you may even have areas of your hard drives "shared" so you can copy files from your computer to another family member's computer. If someone is connected to your wireless, they become part of your home network and can likely see (and access) your "shares." So if you shared your entire "C" drive (never a good idea), ANYONE can access it, and possibly even put files on it. Getting nervous yet?
Now consider that there are some extremely bad people in the world who like to download illegal pictures, music, or movies from the Internet. If they are caught in some sort of law enforcement operation anywhere in the world, the police will track the activity back to YOUR home network, and quite possibly could show up with a search warrant some weeks or months down the road. You will not be given the opportunity to defend yourself at that point, because they will likely take all your computers and analyze them for contraband. This is an extreme example, and the police would likely have to have other evidence to support their search warrant. The fact remains that "someone" on your home network did something illegal.
Ready to secure that wireless device yet?
This information is generic enough so that most people can either do it themselves or entrust their resident geek friend (or average high school student). Here is the prioritized way to approach securing your wireless:
1. Change the default SSID. Default SSIDs tell hackers what type of wireless device you have installed.
2. Change the default password! Anyone can Google your default SSID and get the default password, login, and lock you out!
3. Turn "Broadcast SSID" to "OFF." This will prevent your wireless sending out its name and from appearing in a list of available networks to unwanted users. Your authorized users will have to manually search for it the first time they connect.
4. Use SOME sort of encryption. WEP is the original type and is not considered secure. WPA2 is likely all you need at home.
These four steps should be sufficient, but add the following if you are REALLY paranoid!
5. Use
MAC
Authentication. Every network interface card has a unique
MAC
address. You will have to find that code and add it to your wireless access device BEFORE the user can attempt to connect.
6. If you have a firewall on your network, logically place the wireless in the DeMilitarized Zone (DMZ), NOT "behind" the firewall. This way, if your wireless is compromised (hacked), the hacker will not have access to other resources behind the firewall. (I know, this last one might be a bit too geeky for some of you).
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Contact Us
Technology Chair: Chuck Weisbrich
New Horizons Computer Learning Center
Editor: Tod Bruning; Alamo Colleges
Proofreader: Stan Waghalter, QualTel Communications
North Chamber Contact: Debby Zucker
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