There have been notable breaches of similar systems in recent memory: the hacking of the PlayStation Network a few years ago exposed millions of users’ data to unknown eyes. More recently, Zappos was hacked and 24 million accounts were compromised. On the one hand, these incidents are cautionary tales that remind us to always be mindful of sensitive information and where it’s stored. On the other hand, we’re rapidly moving toward a world where that information will have to be stored somewhere other than on our devices’ hard drives, and so security measures must be likewise advanced.

The question of whether the cloud is safe is difficult to answer with certainty, partly because it depends on whom you ask. A key point to understand is that every cloud service different, and each one has different security protocols.

It can be particularly nerve-racking for clients when two companies that don’t have a standard security protocol merger combine.

Such was the case last month when Rackspace, a leading provider of server hosting and cloud services, acquired Sharepoint911, a small but prolific group of ex-Microsoft Sharepoint consultants. The deal was borne out of Rackspace’s ongoing goal to become a market leader in Sharepoint implementation and a consultancy group (in addition to their seemingly endless other services).

The acquisition is a great deal for Rackspace because it’s another step on the road to expanding and dominating the market space they are in. But what about the consumer? Does the deal mean the haphazard trafficking of information back and forth through the ether, available to the wayward hacker who would have it?

Well, not really. In fact, snapping up Sharepoint911 helped customers, too. Absorbing the consulting firm gives Rackspace the expertise and know-how to address information breaches if they do happen. We can’t say for sure, but it’s reasonable to surmise that this will only be within the Sharepoint ecosystem.

Looking at the larger picture, it’s clear that cloud providers will likely install or train internal teams in cloud security measures so they can have the same level of expertise when cloud computing catches on with a firmer grip in the next five years.

Cloud providers can only sell their services if people trust those services are secure.

Therefore, heightened concern about security is forcing those providers to increase measures of safety even more than they already were. A successful attack on a cloud provider would be devastating in terms of compromised information, but potentially fatal for a business that may not be able to secure customers after a high profile breach.

So, is the cloud safe? Yes, but it’s not impenetrable. As long as you keep your stored information limited to the songs in your music library, shareable documents and other general things, you’re all good. Just don’t go storing your credit card numbers, passwords or Doomsday codes in your iCloud account because as with everything else in the world, if someone wants it bad enough, they’ll get it.

We would like to thank our guest writers on the Online Security Authority Blog! We feel it’s a honor and pleasure, to have others participate and contribute to the great content, advice and opinions on and in this Online World, we all live in… help us, help them, by supporting and visiting their sites!

as always, be safe Online

Your Online Security Authority

Bill Wardell

teach it, learn it, and share it…

© 2006 – 2012 Online Security Authority

OSA Technorati Tags: Breaches, Cautionary Tales, Cloud computing, Consultancy Group, Data Transfers, Gaming Devices, Hard Drives, Key Point, Mainstream, Market Leader, Market Space, Merger, Microsoft Sharepoint, Rackspace, Remote Server, Security Measures, Security Protocol, Security Protocols, Similar Systems, Standard Security, Traditional Computers

Symantec recently admitted that hackers stole their Norton Antivirus source code in 2006. The world’s largest security software vendor had previously blamed “YamaTough,” the hackers responsible for the infiltration, for the latest hack.

However, after further investigation, Symantec redacted their statement and admitted the hackers had infiltrated their own networks. Symantec later indicated that the hackers acquired 2006-era source code for Norton Antivirus Corporate edition, Norton SystemWorks (Norton Utilities and Norton GoBack), Norton Internet Security, and PCAnywhere.

“YamaTough” threatened to release 1.7 Gigabytes of source code for Norton Anti-Virus. However, the hackers later used Twitter to announce they would not release the code to the public until they were able to get all of the code.

What does this all mean to you, the consumer? If hackers are able to decipher Norton’s source code, they can use it to not only attack the company, but also attack the users of Norton’s security products. Should you be worried? The company stated that the customers using the most recent versions of their software did not face any threat of cyber-attacks from the hack. However, Symantec also stated that despite the age of the software, users of its PCAnywhere software faced a “slightly increased security risk”.

Unless Symantec were to write all new source code from scratch, elements of their code will still be prevalent today. This means that hackers are more able to decipher new code if they already have access to older source code because the versions will be somewhat similar. If you’re a little hesitant to trust a big software vendor like Norton Anti-Virus, I suggest opting for a free version of anti-virus software. Many people believe that free virus scanning software works just as well, if not better than paid subscriptions.

The issue of online security is growing at an increasing rate. This means, there opportunities for careers in cyber security. Having a degree in cyber security is a great way to protect yourself and others from criminals hacking into personal and confidential information. There will continuously be a need for cyber security professionals because this problem will always exist. It’s time to put a stop to these online criminals and if you can be the one to help, we all appreciate your services.

We would like to thank our guest writers on the Online Security Authority Blog! We feel it’s a honor and pleasure, to have others participate and contribute to the great content, advice and opinions on and in this Online World, we all live in… help us, help them, by supporting and visiting their sites!

as always, be safe Online

Your Online Security Authority

Bill Wardell

teach it, learn it, and share it…

© 2006 – 2012 Online Security Authority

OSA Technorati Tags: anti-virus software, Antivirus Norton, Company Stated That, Cyber Attacks, Free Virus Scanning, Free Virus Scanning Software, Norton Anti Virus, Norton Antivirus Corporate Edition, Norton Goback, Norton Internet Security, Norton Systemworks, Norton Utilities, Norton Virus, Pcanywhere Software, Security Risk, Security Threat, Software Users, Software Vendor, Virus Scanning Software, Virus Security

Hosting and maintaining servers yourself can be a costly affair. The process of hosting a website is also complex and there is need for the businesses to take such an headache. Even the large companies in your niche are using the Internet service providers in their area to host their sites as the costs are low and rewards are large. Any typical Internet service providers server can host thousands of sites at the same time. Choosing Internet service providers for hosting your website can fall light on the pockets as they charge low monthly fees. Not only the fees but the website can be deemed totally secured when the hosting responsibility lies with the Internet service provider in your area. You will not be harmed by hacking or corruption attempts.

By now you would have understood the value of choosing good Internet service providers (ISPs) for your business. The growth of your business as well as the sales depend on the ISPs. Reputed Internet service providers in any area offer high quality services such as limited downtime. If the ISPs selected is not reputed enough then there are chances that your website will show “Page Not Found” message and other errors more often than not. You could end up losing many customers if this is the state of your website.

So, you must be wondering “what are the features of best Internet Service Providers in my area?”

• Limiting the downtime for your business website.
• ISPs should have a technical support team that provides help in issues relating to network, website, connectivity and email.
• They should provide fast upload and download times.
• Large web space to host web pages and files.
• Multiple email accounts.
• Dedicated domains and IP addresses.
• No Proxy servers.

Below given are some tips that will help you solve the riddle “which are the best Internet services in my area for my business website?”

• ISPs chosen should offer high value services with low costing service fees.
• Compare the bandwidth speeds of the Internet service providers using the online resources. Some ISPs provide faster speeds than the others. Higher bandwidth speed will be ideal choice as they will provide more consistent connections.
• There should lesser ratio per modem. This will assure that you get consistent speeds that will not be halted by too much activity.
• Online support provided by the Internet service provider is their real test. If the service providers respond promptly to their clients problem and give good technical advice, then they are worth relying upon.

I hope all the aspects of choosing the best Internet service provider in your area in regards to your business website have been answered. Now there is no scope to raise the question “which are the best Internet Service Providers in my Area for my business website?”.

We would like to thank our guest writers on the Online Security Authority Blog! We feel it’s a honor and pleasure, to have others participate and contribute to the great content, advice and opinions on and in this Online World, we all live in… help us, help them, by supporting and visiting their sites!

as always, be safe Online

Your Online Security Authority

Bill Wardell

teach it, learn it, and share it…

© 2006 – 2012 Online Security Authority

OSA Technorati Tags: Attempts, Broadband, business, Business Transactions, Business Website, Business Websites, Business/Finance, Corruption, Costly Affair, Disk Space, Downtime, Headache, High Quality Services, internet, Internet connections, Internet Servers, Internet Service Provider, Internet Service Providers, ISP, Niche, Pockets, Professional Image, Rewards, Service Provider, Technology/Internet, Telecommunications, Transactions Take Place, Typical Internet

Any new investor should be aware that nothing is as good as it seems. There are numerous pitfalls involved in buying penny stock. Fraud is rampant. Manipulation of the stock is commonplace. Hype and inflated projections are everywhere.

So a novice needs to do their homework. Numerous online professionals offer tips and lay out strategies for investors interested in penny stock. Once a potential investment strategy is decided on and the investor has chosen which company or companies they want to invest in, they must decide on the best broker to represent them.

The investor must set stop loss and decide on the number of stocks they want to buy. The broker is the middleman. Investors in penny stock can gather valuable tips from online professionals. Any knowledge they gather helps in the decision making process when it comes to working with a broker.

Investors should keep in mind that, despite the small investment required in buying penny stock, fraud and lack of liquidity and volatility are inherent in this stock option. Charlatans gravitate to penny stock. They manipulate the stock and hype selling beyond what the market can support. Once enough suckers come aboard, these manipulators sell off quickly, thus sending the stock into a losing skid that sometimes does not stop until all the novice is left with is worthless paper.

A new penny stock investor should gather as much knowledge as possible about trading this stock before entering the market. Despite the high risk inherent in buying penny stock there is potential for great profit if an investor stays on top of the game.

I am the owner of this site

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/business-articles/how-to-buy-penny-stock-1109895.html

OSA Technorati Tags: Article Source, Best Broker, Business Articles, Charlatans, High Risk, How To Buy Penny Stock, Hype, Investment Strategy, Liquidity, Manipulators, Middleman, New Investor, Penny Stock Fraud, Penny Stock Investor, Pitfalls, Stock Option, Stop Loss, Suckers, Top Of The Game, Volatility

1. Assess the Damage - The first thing you need to do should be obvious but is often missed. You need to do a detailed assessment of your current debt situation. Don’t leave any rocks unturned and find out exactly where the big problems areas are and where you are doing alright. Calculate your total debt and find out exactly who you owe and how much you owe them. You won’t get very far if you don’t know where the problem is.

2. Beware of Scamsters – If there is one tip that I want you to ingrain in your mind it is this one. It really is sad that there are so many people out there looking to prey on innocent people who are already in a dire situation, but that is exactly what they do. Don’t let fast talking, big promise phone salesmen fool you into sending them a start up fee in order to begin the consolidation process. Most Legitimate companies will never require this.

Rather, do thorough research before deciding on what kind of debt consolidation company to go with and you will be glad you did!

3. Resolve To Stay Out of Debt – Remember what got you into this mess in the first place? Over spending and lack of discipline is usually the culprit. But, if you are one of the few that has gotten into debt because of a loss of job or a pay cut then this will still apply to you, so don’t think you are off the hook.

You are going to have to take a serious look at your spending habits and begin to stick to just the essentials for living if you are really serious about getting out of debt and staying out.

Don’t think that you can get a debt consolidation and all your troubles will be solved, it just doesn’t work that way. You are going to have to make some hard decisions and live sacrificially for a while, but trust me you will not regret it when the burden of debt finally rolls off your back!

There you have my essential Debt Consolidation Tips. So if you are at the end of your rope and knee deep in bills that you just can’t pay or are just looking for some more debt relief tips go on over to <a rel="nofollow" title="www.bestdebtrelief.org” target=”_blank” href=”http://www.bestdebtrelief.org”>www.bestdebtrelief.org and you’ll find all the Free Tips and info you’ll need to get out of debt and get there fast.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/finance-articles/debt-consolidation-tips-you-need-to-know-dont-consolidate-until-you-read-this-1107617.html

OSA Technorati Tags: Consolidate Debt, Consolidate Your Debt, Culprit, Current, Debt Consolidation Company, Debt Situation, Discipline, Getting Out Of Debt, Hook, Innocent, Job, Legitimate Companies, Matter What Your Situation, Problems Areas, Resolve, Rocks, Salesmen, Spending Habits