I have been trying to get a few certifications recently. One of them was a required certification (security+) to keep my job. While the others are in an attempt to correct a few past mistakes.

.

First lesson is never let your career path be directed by people who don't actually know what your job title means. 

Second lesson is never stay at a site where they refuse to keep up with even the least technology advancements. It will destroy your career and you will be here with me, starting over with a lot of history in systems and networks that fail to actually form a coherent skill set.

Third lesson, if you're not learning you're leaving. Meaning you are on your way out, not only the door of your current job, but out of the career field you are working in. Provided it is in the IT field anyway, but many others are very similar in the continuing education requirement. Make sure that what you are learning is directly related to your career.

Networks what do you need to know to survive?

Routing and switching, VoIP, Security, Wireless

Systems Admin what do you need to know to survive?

Latest Server OS, Backup, Virtual Machines, Email, Industry related applications, Workstation OS

So starting with what has taken place in the last month or so: 

CCNA is the current certification I am working on. I need to know what the voice part of the system is all about and how to make these things work in order to test and make things function. So in the slightly larger picture I am going to try to get my CVOICE but it will require the CCNA to build on. I took a class in December of 2012 on the CCNA and it seemed to cover the first half of the two books the ICND1. So I was a little disappointed with the class. I did manage to get the books and some example tests out of it though. 

Some of the best resources I have found I will list here as well to save a little on the searching.

How to study for CCNA Free

Cyber Crime Is Focusing On Small Businesses

Symantec's latest annual Internet Security Threat Report reveals a 42 percent surge during 2012 in targeted attacks. Symantec says that the computer espionage attacks are designed to steal intellectual property and are targeting more start-ups and small business. What this means to you is that hardening your security measures is more important than ever. Create a policy for your employees to follow and implement a security refresher training program for employees. We can't actually stop every attack, but we can be a harder target with a lower profile, preventing the majority of attacks. There are a lot of things that can be done that cost nothing or very little. But that go a long way toward securing your business and finances from online threats. The following is quoted from Symantec's web site. 

“This year’s ISTR shows that cybercriminals aren’t slowing down, and they continue to devise new ways to steal information from organizations of all sizes,” says Stephen Trilling, chief technology officer, Symantec. “The sophistication of attacks coupled with today’s IT complexities, such as virtualization, mobility and cloud, require organizations to remain proactive and use ‘defense in depth’ security measures to stay ahead of attacks.”

"According to the report, small businesses are now the target of 31 percent of all attacks, a threefold increase from 2011. Most startups assume they're not targets, but cybercriminals are enticed by these organizations’ bank account information, customer data and intellectual property. Attackers also know small businesses often lack adequate security practices and infrastructure. Web-based attacks increased by 30 percent in 2012."

"Last year, mobile malware increased by 58 percent, and 32 percent of all mobile threats attempted to steal information, such as email addresses and phone numbers. Android had more threats than any other mobile operating system."

In summery the larger companies have turned up the security level making attacking them less effective. So the criminals have turned their focus on less secure, less hardened small businesses. They have to harvest a lot more to get the same amount of what ever it is they are after at the moment. But the targets are softer, so most of it can be automated or farmed out. If you need help battening down the hatches, we are always available.

Reference Links
http://smallbiztrends.com/2013/04/cyber-attacks-on-small-businesses-increase.html
http://www.techvibes.com/blog/huge-surge-in-attacks-on-startups-2013-04-19

Spot the Web Vulnerability

by Miroslav Stampar on Oct 13, 2012

• 191 views

These are the slides from a talk "Spot the Web Vulnerability" held at Hacktivity 2012 conference (Hungary / Budapest 12th–13th October 2012) by Miroslav Stampar.

http://www.slideshare.net/stamparm/spot-the-web-vulnerability

Ouch: Romney Calls Tesla a ‘Loser’

Ouch: Romney Calls Tesla a ‘Loser’:
In the back and forth in Wednesday night’s presidential debate over tax breaks to energy companies, Republican nominee Mitt Romney argued that President Obama’s grants and tax breaks to renewable energy companies equalled 50 years of the tax breaks to gas companies.
Romney then name-dropped a few beneficiaries including the bankrupt solar panel maker Solyndra and Tesla Motors, the car maker that has gotten a $465 million loan from the Department of Energy, which it is paying off.
Romney then quipped that “One of my friends said, ‘You don’t pick the winners and losers. You pick the losers.’”
Snap. And ouch.
It’s a bit premature to call Tesla a loser – especially as the company is building cars it hopes will revolutionize transportation.
Moreover, founder Elon Musk says it will accelerate its payment of the principal in the spring — and the Department of Energy isn’t complaining it’s not getting its money back.
While Tesla Motor’s future remains deeply uncertain, the Tesla Model S has gotten fantastic reviews, and Musk is inarguably one of Silicon Valley’s visionaries.
So calling Tesla a loser might be one of those “zingers” that everyone looks for in these kind of debates, but it’s certainly not a way to win the respect of the tech world.

Try Try F#

Try Try F#: Microsoft has released the beta release of Try F#. which makes programming in F# 3.0 easy to learn, simple to use3, and straightforward to share.

What Comes After the Touch Screen?

What Comes After the Touch Screen?: Gesture control, devices that recognize different people, and tricks to make a screen feel as if it has physical buttons could be coming to your gadgets.

Defense cuts could sink this stock

Defense cuts could sink this stock: L-3 Communications supplies a wide range of products and services used for aerospace and defense platforms. The company in July completed the spin-off of its government-services unit, called Engility Holdings (NYSE:EGL) , and in August purchased ...