This is a part one of a multi-part series on recommended practices for organizations and their end-users. Additional parts will be in upcoming newsletters.
Organizations create and consume data constantly, but not all have formal policies or practices that define the value of this data and restrict its amount and location.
Quality is difficult to define and even tougher to enforce; some departments and users save items solely for convenience, even though its value is minimal, while others consider everything they have ever said or done, even 20 years ago, to be worthy of permanent storage. Basically, there is no point to storing unstructured data (MS Office documents, PDFs, etc.) unless it has value to the organization; however, if you must store it, choose a method that allows some type of classification (like SharePoint with its searchable repository of metadata).1
Rather than try to enforce quality standards, many organizations impose limitations on the amount of data stored (since this can be controlled and monitored)2: Even though disk space is relatively inexpensive, backup, data-management, and data-security costs increase as data grows. Quotas also impose discipline; setting a quota allows the organization to get a picture of storage needs by individuals and by departments or functional groups. Quotas can also be adjusted as needed.
There are tools that manage unstructured data via audit/access controls and monitor via usage patterns; these are targeted (and priced) for enterprise-class organizations, but are moving downstream within the reach of more organizations. There are less-expensive tools (and policies included within Active Directory) that limit storage-space usage; limits are usually set by user or by department.
Finally, organizations traditionally assume, and try to enforce, that end-users save and store company data only at designated locations of on-premise equipment (drives mapped to servers, storage arrays, Network Attached Storage, etc.) or at authorized, Cloud-based storage locations; the idea is to save and secure company data where it will receive proper backup, security, and vetting. Saving company data onto personal computers, tablets, and mobile phones, where it might not receive regular backups and is more vulnerable to loss or theft, is discouraged.
The best place to start is to create a clear, unambiguous policy on the storage of company data with these guidelines:
Define what data should be kept and for how long
Define storage-amount limitations and enforcement
Define acceptable storage locations
Define responsibilities for retention
Once defined, processes can be created and tools can be acquired to manage and monitor this policy.
Our recommendations for storage locations:
Remove all data from end-user devices (laptops, mobile devices, etc.).
Map a Home folder for each end-user and restrict its rights to that user.
Move the end-user My documents folder to their respective Home folder.
Deploy a document-collaboration utility (like SharePoint or Google Docs) or create a Shared folder with appropriate subfolders to manage your shared, unstructured data.
Restrict shared access by department or functional group.
Our recommendations for storage management:
Define policies within Active Directory to limit storage space (as needed).
Archive older, infrequently-used data to less-expensive storage.
Monitor usage on a regular basis.
1. Visit “My ongoing rant about unstructured end user data storage”.
2. See Alan Radding’s excellent and relevant article “Keep end-user storage under control” at TechTarget and originally from Storage magazine in November 2006.
https://www.bryley.com/wp-content/uploads/logo-340-300x79.png00Garin Livingstonehttps://www.bryley.com/wp-content/uploads/logo-340-300x79.pngGarin Livingstone2014-09-18 08:00:002024-01-04 05:09:57Recommended practices – Part-1: Storage of unstructured data
Bryley Systems exhibited in the Technology Pavilion at the Central Mass Business Expo on September 8th, which was held at the DCU Center in Worcester, MA.
Pictured in our booth is Anna ; Account Executive at Bryley Systems.
https://www.bryley.com/wp-content/uploads/logo-340-300x79.png00Garin Livingstonehttps://www.bryley.com/wp-content/uploads/logo-340-300x79.pngGarin Livingstone2014-09-11 13:14:392014-09-11 13:14:39Bryley exhibits at the Central Mass Business Expo
Congratulations to Anna who completed the significant training and testing to become certified as a VMware Sales Professional.
VMware is the global leader in virtualization and a key partner of Bryley Systems. A certified VMware Sales Professional has general knowledge in VMware products and business practices.
Anna has been with Bryley since 2010. She moved to the Sales team in 2012.
https://www.bryley.com/wp-content/uploads/logo-340-300x79.png00Garin Livingstonehttps://www.bryley.com/wp-content/uploads/logo-340-300x79.pngGarin Livingstone2014-09-04 08:00:002017-07-13 12:18:26Anna D. achieves VMware Sales Professional certification
The weather cooperated as Bryley’s summer outing on Sunset Lake in Ashburnham was sunny, warm, and dry. The menu included standard-issue, summer-cookout fare with hamburgers, hot dogs, veggie burgers, salads, and desserts; plenty of desserts. Bryley also hosted SwiftecIT and other friends; daylight fishing and pontoon-boat rides (pictured) gave way to roasting marshmallows around the evening campfire.
Congratulations to Geary at USI! You’ve won the drawing for “Roy’s Almost 20th!”
For those who may have missed the news, Roy Pacitto, our Director of Sales, has been an employee at Bryley Systems for nearly 20 years! Since we tend to get excited about this sort of thing, we decided to have a little celebration in honor of his many years of service, only to realize that Roy hadn’t actually finished his 20th year yet. By this point, however, the drinks were already open, the cake was already out, and we were already assembled, so we decided to go ahead and celebrate Roy’s (almost) 20th anyway.
It was about this time that we made another realization. Over the past (almost) 20 years, Roy has come to know a lot of people, and we wanted to get all of you in on the celebration as well. As a result, we put together a little contest in which we hid an image of Roy’s (almost) 20th cake somewhere on our website, and those who found it were entered in a chance to win a $35.00 gift card.
To make a long story short, the contest is over and Geary is our lucky winner! We hope that you will all join us in congratulating Geary and Roy in their respective achievements.
https://www.bryley.com/wp-content/uploads/logo-340-300x79.png00Garin Livingstonehttps://www.bryley.com/wp-content/uploads/logo-340-300x79.pngGarin Livingstone2014-08-13 08:00:002014-08-13 08:00:00We Have A Winner!
iPhones, versions 3GS and later, offer hardware encryption; it is activated through the data-protection feature by enabling a passcode:
Tap Settings > General > Passcode.
Follow the prompts to create a passcode.
After the passcode is set, scroll down to the bottom of the screen and verify that “Data protection is enabled” is visible.
Note: Your encryption protection is only as good as the passcode; try to make this difficult to guess and keep it hidden.
You should also encrypt your backup for added security. Check the “encrypt local backup” in iTunes if you back up to your computer. If you back up to iCloud it is automatically encrypted, but be sure you have a really good iCloud passcode.
https://www.bryley.com/wp-content/uploads/logo-340-300x79.png00Garin Livingstonehttps://www.bryley.com/wp-content/uploads/logo-340-300x79.pngGarin Livingstone2014-08-04 08:00:002018-07-03 11:26:24Bryley Basics: Encrypt your iPhone
Google introduced its Chromebook in 2009; sales have increased and it can be considered a low-cost alternative to the pricier, Microsoft Windows-based Ultrabook, but Chromebooks have significant limitations. Some also say that a Chromebook can replace a tablet, but comparison1 suggests otherwise.
Chromebooks run Chrome OS, Google’s Linux-based operating system integrated with Google’s Chrome web browser. (Chrome was recently ranked the number one Internet browser used in the US with 31.8% of sampled traffic, followed closely by Microsoft’s Internet Explorer at 30.9%; reported by ADI, a marketing research branch of Adobe Systems.2) As such, they are designed to be used primarily when connected to the Internet and are closely linked to Google’s Cloud-based services like Google Drive, Google Apps, etc.
Reasons to buy3 include:
User interface – Intuitive; easy to use and simple to navigate
Offline – Works best online, but supports some offline activity
Platform agnostic – Can access all Cloud-based data
Fast boot-up – Access the Internet within 8 seconds
Security – Google Rewards for bug notification
Apps – Growing application options
Price – Starts at just under $200
Primary disadvantages of a Chromebook:
Thin client that gets its best features only via an Internet connection
Offline mode requires setup and has severely reduced functionality
Fewer compatible apps and games than Windows-based devices
Limited connections to printers, scanners, and mobile devices
Low-end processor not built for intensive use
My take: A Chromebook is a good, low-cost option under these circumstances:
You do not use processor-intensive applications (i.e.: games),
You use Google Apps for content creation and review,
Your data is completely based in the Cloud,
You do not connect to other devices, and
You always have access to the Internet.
Note: Google dominates the search industry and makes its money through Google AdWords and other advertising programs. The core emphasis of all of their efforts is to drive consumers to their advertisers.
https://www.bryley.com/wp-content/uploads/logo-340-300x79.png00Garin Livingstonehttps://www.bryley.com/wp-content/uploads/logo-340-300x79.pngGarin Livingstone2014-07-17 08:00:002018-07-03 11:19:31Google’s ChromeBook – A realistic alternative to a Windows Ultrabook?
Bryley employees were recently celebrating Roy’s 20th anniversary when someone pointed out that it was a year early. Since we already had a 20th-year cake, we ate it anyway.
Roy, a key member of the management team, started as service manager in 1995. He moved to the sales team in 1997; in the mid-2000s he became Director of Sales. For his biography, visit http://www.Bryley.com/about/management-team/.
Now that the cake is gone, we will continue the celebration by having a random drawing with a chance to win a $30 VISA gift-card. To be entered into the drawing:
Find Roy with his 20th-year cake at Bryley.com.
Click on the photo and fill-out the drawing-submission form completely.
On August 12th, 2014, we will randomly select one winner from all of the entrants that complete and submit the form and will send that person a $30 VISA gift-card.
Note: Bryley employees and their relations are excluded from this drawing.
https://www.bryley.com/wp-content/uploads/logo-340-300x79.png00Garin Livingstonehttps://www.bryley.com/wp-content/uploads/logo-340-300x79.pngGarin Livingstone2014-07-03 08:00:002024-01-04 05:09:51Roy Pacitto works almost 20 years at Bryley Systems
Windows-Server virtualization, the deployment of a virtual version of a Windows-Server operating environment, is used to reduce hardware costs, gain efficiencies, and improve the availability of computing resources. It refers to installing a virtual environment onto one or more “virtualized” hardware servers (termed Physical Hosts) and deploying multiple virtual Windows-Server operating systems (termed Virtual Guests) onto this virtual environment.
In small to medium-sized businesses, we typically see three levels of Windows-Server virtualization with these increasing benefits:
Single Physical Host – Cost savings (energy and hardware) with some flexibility
Multiple hosts with Storage Area Network (SAN) – Highly available environment with minimal downtime
Multiple hosts with Site-to-Site Failover – Disaster recovery to separate location
We review each of these levels below.
Single Physical Host
This virtualization level has these components:
Single hardware server with onboard storage – This hardware server is the platform for the Physical Host; it could be a HP ML350/ML370 tower server or equivalent with multiple disk drives.
Virtualizing software – The operating environment for virtualization; typically the free versions of either VMware’s VSphere or Microsoft’s Hyper-V. (These products are available as free downloads from the manufacturer.) Installing the virtualizing software onto the hardware server creates the Physical Host.
Multiple Virtual Guests – The virtual operating systems installed onto the Physical Host; usually one or more instances of Microsoft’s Windows Server. (These instances must each be licensed copies of Windows Server and any associated, server-based applications.)
This environment consolidates several Windows Server instances onto a single hardware server with sufficient processing capability, Random Access Memory (RAM), and on-board disk storage. It introduces cost savings in hardware, energy, and support and provides some flexibility in the transfer of a virtualized instance to a new hardware platform (although this transfer is manual and requires a second hardware server).
Some caveats:
The hardware server (and its components) is the primary point of failure; if it is down, all of the installed Virtual Guests are unavailable.
Ports on the Physical Host are handled differently in a virtual environment; attached backup devices and UPS equipment might need special setup.
Primary business benefits:
Less up-front acquisition cost (capital expenditure or CapEx) since a single hardware server can be used rather than two or more hardware servers. Plus, the virtualizing software at this level is basically free.
Less energy required to power a single hardware server than multiple hardware servers; leads to reduced operating expenses (OpEx).
Fewer components to support; could lead to lower support costs.
Increased flexibility and scalability when migrating to a new hardware server.
This virtualizing environment works well in a business with a couple of Windows Servers that is looking to capital and operating reduce costs.
Multiple Physical Hosts with a Storage Area Network
At this level, we separate the storage (disk-drives) from the Physical Host and move them to a separate Storage Area Network (SAN)1. We also add sophisticated virtualizing software capable of automatically managing the location of Virtual Guests.
A major benefit of this approach is termed: “High availability”.
High availability refers to “A system design approach and associated service implementation that ensures a prearranged level of operational performance will be met…” (from WikiPedia under “High availability”). Basically, if designed properly, this level provides complete redundancy of all critical components within the equipment stack such that any single component can fail without compromising system reliability.
Improved performance is also likely since the virtualizing software can automatically balance available resources against Virtual Guest needs.
This virtualization level has these primary hardware components:
Storage Area Network (SAN), preferably with redundant disk chassis and network switching2
Two or more Physical Hosts, preferably with N+1 redundancy3
Two or more VLAN-capable Ethernet switches4
Each item is a critical of the overall design:
All data and Virtual Guests reside on the SAN
Virtual Guests are balanced among the Physical Hosts
Ethernet switches route all the traffic between the SAN and the Physical Hosts
If any item fails, the system fails. So, each item must be redundant (to increase reliability) and must be properly maintained.
Notes:
1 Technically, the Storage Area Network consists of disk arrays and the interconnecting fabric, which is TCP/IP over Ethernet over UDP in the case of an iSCSI SAN.
2 The SAN is the data storage; it should have redundant components capable of automatic failover. A single-chassis SAN (like the HP P2000 series) has redundant controllers and power supplies, but fails if its disk backplane fails; a redundant-chassis SAN (like the HP P4000 series) consists of two or more separate storage arrays. The chance of a failure in a redundant-chassis SAN affecting all arrays at once is extremely small.
3 Physical Host N+1 redundancy refers to adding one more Physical Host than required to meet performance standards. The additional Physical Host permits performance standards to be retained, even if a Physical Host fails.
4 In addition to providing the SAN connectivity, the Ethernet switches provide redundant network links between the Physical Hosts and the remainder of the network.
Multiple Hosts with Site-to-Site Failover
Our highest level of Windows Server virtualization, Multiple Hosts with Site-to-Site Failover, addresses the issue of a single-site failure; how long does it take to recover to a new location if your primary site fails (as in a building catastrophe such as long-term power outage, flooding, fire, theft, etc.).
Like most data-center-uptime strategies, redundancy is the core concept; in this case, a second site is equipped with comparable equipment and the data is synchronized between the primary and secondary site. Done properly, the secondary site can be brought up either automatically or, when budget is a constraint, within a short interval of an hour or less.
Configuring for automatic failover can be considerably more expensive than allowing a short interval of an hour or less to recover since you essentially need to duplicate the primary site at the remote location, have sufficient bandwidth between the locations to permit real-time replication, and deploy some additional equipment and software to manage the automatic failover.
While automatic failover is feasible, we structure the failover interval (automatic or short) to meet the client’s requirements and budget.
When configuring for a short delay, we use HP Proliant servers with VMware’s vSphere virtualization platform. Storage is provided through an HP P4500-series SAN (Storage Area Network), which offers complete redundancy within the SAN (redundant-chassis, dual power supplies per chassis, redundant array controllers, and a Network-RAID array to spread the data across the P4500) as well as block-by-block transfer of data to a storage device at one or more remote locations. (This replication is not real-time; it is based on snapshots taken and copied to the remote location. These snapshots can be taken no more frequently than every 15 minutes, but this time period often needs to be lengthened to accommodate bandwidth constraints.)
The P4500 is setup at the primary site with a lower-cost HP P2000 deployed at the secondary site(s). The P4500 is configured to provide synchronization aligned with the circuit bandwidth between sites, allowing the P2000 to retain the same data and configuration without compromising performance.
The secondary site(s) would also have HP Proliant servers and two (or more) VLAN-capable Ethernet switches. The Proliant servers run the VMware virtualizing software, but are basically dormant until needed.
When configuring for automatic failover, several items must be adjusted:
P4500 SANs must be deployed at the primary and remote site(s) and must be configured in a multi-site cluster
VMware vSphere Enterprise or better is required and must be licensed for both the primary and remote (recovery) site(s)
Windows Server licensing at the primary site must be duplicated for the recovery site(s)
Sufficient bandwidth must exist for real-time disk-writes since this configuration cannot fall behind and catch-up during slack periods
Additional VMware utilities and enhanced licensing for applications may be required to enable true automatic failover
For more information, please email Info@Bryley.com or call us at 978.562.6077.
https://www.bryley.com/wp-content/uploads/logo-340-300x79.png00Garin Livingstonehttps://www.bryley.com/wp-content/uploads/logo-340-300x79.pngGarin Livingstone2014-06-26 08:00:002018-07-03 13:02:49What is the business case for Windows-Server virtualization?
Many Cloud-based services fall into one of these categories:
Productivity suites – Applications that help you be more productive
Storage – Storing, retrieving, and synchronizing files in the Cloud
Backup and Recovery – Backing-up data and being able to recover it
Prevention – Prevent malware, typically spam and related components
Each category is represented below in its own section.
1. Productivity suites
Productivity suites
Probably the segment with the heaviest hitters, Microsoft and Google are battling for supremacy; Microsoft was late to the Cloud, but is ramping up nicely with its Cloud-services sales exceeding $1B/year. However, Google still owns this segment with an estimated 33% to 50% of Cloud-based, productivity-suite users, mostly on the strength of its free Google Apps and Google Apps for Education, but also with paid subscriptions to Google Apps for Business and Google Apps for Government.
Microsoft built Office 365 on its popular, desktop-based, Microsoft Office suite which includes Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and other applications. (The current versions are Office 2003, Office 2007, Office 2010, and Office 2013.) Microsoft Office users will find Office 365 familiar since most versions include the Microsoft Office suite, which can be downloaded to your PC and to other compatible devices.
Office 365 consists of these primary components:
Exchange Online – Email, calendar, contacts, and tasks
SharePoint Online – Document collaboration and management
Lync Online – Online meetings with instant messaging and desktop sharing
Office Web Apps – Cloud versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote
Most versions of Office 365 also include:
Office suite – Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.
SkyDrive – Cloud storage of documents
Full-feature versions range from $96/user per year to $240/user per year. Microsoft now offers its E1 plan free to qualifying non-profit organizations.
Google Apps are, and always were, Cloud-based; they did not start as applications installed onto your computer. As such, they are easy to use and maintain and they work on a wide variety of devices, from PCs to tablets to smartphones. On the downside, due to this setup, they have some functionality and usage limitations when compared to Microsoft Office applications.
Google Apps for Business has a “one size fits all” approach; you get all the features at $50/user per year. Google Apps for Business includes:
Gmail – Email with Google-powered search
Calendar – Schedule meetings, share calendars, get reminders
Drive – Store files in the Cloud and send files to colleagues
Docs – Create, share, and work-on documents
Sheets – Manage spreadsheet data
Slides – Create presentations
Comparing Productivity Suites
Both Office 365 and Google Apps for Business provide desired applications that are somewhat easy to use; while Microsoft relies on its huge base of Office users to consider switching to Office 365, Google lures its users in with its free versions of Google Apps and Google Apps for Education and then provides a simple upgrade to the paid version of Google Apps for Business (or Google Apps for Government).
Basic reasons to choose Microsoft Office 365:
Users are familiar and comfortable with Microsoft Office interface
Multiple plan options exist to fit your needs and budget
Greater functionality within applications
Basic reasons to choose Google Apps for Business:
Relatively inexpensive with only one plan to select
Storage often comes in a free version with separate professional/business (paid) versions that includes advanced features. The basic premise is that your data is stored in the Cloud – hopefully in a secure manner with sufficient redundancy – is available from any location on any device, and is synchronized between devices.
Most free versions offer these minimum features:
At least 2Gb of storage with synchronization across multiple computers
Easy access from mobile devices and PCs via downloadable client software
Direct access to files through a web browser
File sharing with other users
However, you typically must upgrade to a paid version to receive these capabilities:
Access control – Define and control who can access what, where, and when
Additional storage – Purchase extra storage once your limit is exceeded
Auditing – Identify and record what files are stored where and by whom
Integration – Integrate with other platforms (i.e.: Active Directory)
Security – Enable advanced encryption and security techniques
Popular services (alphabetically) include:
Box – 10 Gb free storage with NetSkope’s second-highest rating
Dropbox – 2 Gb free storage with over 200 million subscribers
Google Drive – 15 Gb free storage shared with Gmail and Google+ Photo
SkyDrive – 7 Gb free storage and integrated within Microsoft Office apps
Box
Box (www.Box.com) is a Q3-2013 leader in Forrester’s “File Sync & Share Platforms”. It offers a free version, but is built for professional use with available integration to Active Directory and LDAP, security with rotating encryption keys, access control, and auditing.
According to Netskope’s review of Cloud-based applications, Box was the second highest-scoring Cloud application, coming in the number two spot on the NetSkope Q3-2013 Cloud Report. (Please visit Netskope’shttp://www.netskope.com/reports-infographics/netskope-cloud-report-q3-2013 for the complete report.)
My take: Box is the most-comprehensive offering, but a bit more complex due to its advanced features. It is a serious choice for those that value advanced features (access control, auditing, integration, etc.) and are willing to pay to get them.
Dropbox
With over 200 million users, Dropbox (www.Dropbox.com) claims market leadership. It is built upon Amazon’s S3 storage and is easy to use. The free version offers 2 Gb, but there is a professional (Dropbox Pro) version with greater functionality (and storage) and a business version (Dropbox for Business) that offers team collaboration. All three versions offer synchronization and file-sharing; the help screens are brief, useful, and entertaining.
My take: Dropbox is the easiest and most-fun to use, but it has the least amount of free storage and its paid plans are a bit more expensive than others.
Google Drive
Google offers Google Drive (www.GoogleDrive.com) as a stand-alone service or bundled within Google Apps. The free version offers 15 Gb with synchronization among devices and sharing among peers. It is a no-frills alternative with little glitz, just reliable storage at reasonable cost. It is the base of Google Apps.
My take: Google Drive has fewer doodads and the least amount of whimsy, but it is reliable and offers the greatest amount of free storage.
SkyDrive
Microsoft offers its free version of SkyDrive (www.SkyDrive.com) with seven Gb plus an additional three Gb for students. SkyDrive is an option in newer versions of Microsoft Office and integrates to Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Bing. You can also “fetch” files from your base computer via web-browser on a remote computer.
My take: SkyDrive offers the most for the least, although there is some buzz about slow synchronization between devices. Its “fetch” feature is unique among these alternatives and its integration within Microsoft Office is a killer feature.
3. Backup and Recovery
Backup and Recovery automatically copies files and folders to an offsite location at periodic intervals. It is similar to Storage, but is unique in that these files are held separately, unchanged, for the purpose of restoration (recovery) if the original files become unavailable. Backups are typically encrypted and are somewhat resistant to malicious attacks; however, if the original files were infected before the backup process begins, the backup files will also be infected.
Recovery is the reason for backups. The most common recovery scenarios:
A user changes a document and then wishes to retrieve the previous version.
Changes are saved to a template document, rather than creating a new file.
An upgrade to an application fails and corrupts its data files.
Access is needed to a deleted file.
Popular, Cloud-based, Backup and Recovery services include (alphabetically):
Carbonite – Extremely popular; starts at $59.99/year per device
Mozy – Also well-known with prices starting at $5.99/month for up to 50Gb
SOS Online Backup – Starts at $9.99/month for 100Gb; unlimited devices
SugarSync – More synchronization than backup starting at $7.49/month
Carbonite
Carbonite is automated, encrypted, and easy to use. It is available for home users, but includes business-oriented plans. Home-user plans are per-device; each device is priced at $59.99/year with unlimited backup. Business plans start at $299.99/year with an unlimited number of devices.
Mozy is a subsidiary of EMC, a Fortune 500 company in Hopkinton, MA. Like Carbonite, they offer both home and business packages.
There is a free version, but most MozyHome plans start at $5.99/month per device with up to 50Gb. The business option, MozyPro, starts at $19.99/month for unlimited devices up to 50Gb; $26.98/month with servers.
Plans from SOS Online Backup do not restrict the number of devices, but their base plan is restricted to a single user starting at $9.99/month. Plans that include unlimited devices and unlimited users start at $99.99/month and include monitoring, password encryption, and phone support.
SugarSync is more of a folder-synchronization service than a backup service; it synchronizes a folder across multiple devices. SugarSync is user-based with plans starting at $7.49/month per user; multi-user plans start at $55/month.
My take: Of these four options, we hear more about Carbonite and Mozy than SOS Online Backup or SugarSync. Although SugarSync is popular, it is not as good a backup and restore solution as the other three.
Mozy has the deepest pockets with a large corporate partner, but Carbonite has, at this time, greater momentum. The monitoring and telephone support included with SOS Online Backup makes it attractive.
Bryley Systems offers our Backup/Disaster Recovery (BU/DR) service for servers; it is a monitored, secure, service hosted within our data-center in Hudson, MA with onsite appliance included. Please visit www.Bryley.com for details.
4. Prevention
Prevention is a necessary evil; it can slow end-point performance (since these tools are using computing resources to constantly scan for problems), but it is critical in keeping end-users safe from external threats like spam, malware, and viruses. Cloud-oriented Prevention includes:
Email protection – Control spam plus encrypt and archive emails
End-point security – Secure end-user computers against attacks
Web filtering – Prevent unauthorized access to undesired websites
Email protection is wholly Cloud-based, but end-point security tools usually deploy an application onto the end-user computer while web filtering requires at least an adjustment to (ie: setup a proxy server), or an application installed on, the end-user computer. We’ll cover only Cloud-based, email protection in this article.
Key issues for email-protection options include:
Administration – Easy setup and enforcement
Effectiveness – Works reliably and consistently
End-user interface – Intuitive, secure, and easy-to-use
Granularity – Allows multi-level policies and permissions
GMS was one of the best products at an excellent price of $12/user per year. In 2013, Google discontinued GMS as a stand-alone service and bundled it within Google Apps. Former GMS clients will retain the $12 pricing for a period of time, but will eventually pay the Google Apps for Business price of $50/user per year.
Visit http://www.google.com/postini/ for details on this transition.
McAfee SaaS Email Prevention and Continuity (MEPC)
Intel is currently rebranding McAfee within Intel Security; no timeframe on the conversion, but the McAfee logo (a red “M” on a shield) will remain associated with these services.
MEPC prevents spam, but also includes Continuity, which allows end-users to retrieve and send email even if their email service is unavailable; once the email service becomes available, all emails received and sent via MEPC are then resynchronized with the email service. The price is $27/user per year.
Microsoft provides email protection and archiving within its Office 365 suite, but also offers it as a stand–alone service under EOP, although it is directed solely at Exchange-based email. In addition to spam and malware prevention, you can establish content and policy-based filtering to ensure outbound emails do not violate company standards. Price is $12/user per year.
Proofpoint Essentials Business is a comprehensive offering that classifies security threats and then manages against their intrusion. Outbound filtering, content filtering, and 14-day spooling are included; archiving is also available. Proofpoint Essentials Business starts at $26.40/user per year.
Symantec recently acquired MessageLabs spam filter and rebranded it within their Symantec.cloud services under Email Security.cloud. It protects against targeted attacks, malware, spam, and the like using proprietary Skeptic™ technologies. Content filtering is included; email encryption is available.
