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CPS Technology
Solutions Inc.
3949 County Road 116 Ste 190 Hamel, MN 55340 Phone: 800-438-4202 Fax: 763-553-9058 www.cpsts.com Marketing @ cpsts.com 2004 |
In this Issue: Wireless Security How Good is your Firewall iSeries Corner Product Spotlight Product Briefs
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If you are using wireless connectivity in your network, you
have added another way to access your LAN that doesn’t require getting
past
your firewall, and doesn’t even require physical access! By default, most wireless access points and devices are set up to connect as transparently as possible, with automatic detection of the wireless node, automatic handshaking and assignment of an IP address, and so on. This makes it easy for you and your co-workers to connect, but it also means that anyone in the next office, in the parking lot, on the sidewalk, in a nearby building – anywhere within the bubble of connectivity – may also be able to tap into your bandwidth and go online through your access point without your knowledge or permission. Worse, they may be able to access not only the internet, but your PCs and servers too! So, what can you do? Here are a few basic steps you can do to protect your network. 1. Turn off SSID Broadcasts. SSID is the Service Set Identifier, it’s the name of your wireless network. If broadcast is enabled, your network is continuously “shouting” this ID across the airwaves, where anyone can pick it up. 2. Change your SSID name. Too many sites leave this name at the default. For example, the default SSID for Linksys Access Points is “Linksys”. Hackers know this, change it to something they don’t know or can guess. Also, be sure to change the password for maintenance and changes to the wireless access point. The defaults are also widely known. 3. Enable and require the use of 128 bit Wired Equilivant Privacy (WEP). This will need to be enabled on your access point as well as on each connected device. It scrambles the data to provide an extra measure of security and privacy. 4. Filter access by MAC address. The MAC address is a unique number associated with each network card. By entering all the MAC addresses of the computers in your network into the appropriate area of your wireless access point, you can limit access to only known and approved devices. None of these measures are foolproof, but by adopting them, you can gain a much greater level of security for your wireless network. New products are on the way that will address this issue, but the above steps are things you can do right now. |
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Many low end firewalls are merely packet filtering devices that look to see if data packets are coming from a legitimate and permitted address. They offer no protection against spoofing or embedded viruses, worms or trojans. In light of today’s environment of intrusions that infect a system and use any address books there to propagate itself, your network may be at risk. Most high-end firewalls use stateful inspection. They not only look at addresses, but also look “inside” the packets for harmful code and disguised intrusions. The problem is that these firewalls are usually very expensive. After doing the research, CPS is recommending Astaro to our clients as a low cost, high performance solution. Astaro Security Linux is a fully integrated software security solution that provides superior performance in an all-in-one firewall. Including a hardened operating system, stateful packet inspection, spam protection, surf and virus protection, content filtering, application proxies and IPSec-based VPN, Astaro Security Linux provides a powerful all-in-one solution addressing today’s security issues. Astaro Security Linux is designed to maximize your network’s security without compromising its performance. It enables telecommuters, branch offices, customers and suppliers to safely share critical business information. Astaro is available both as an appliance and software only. It is one of the easiest to use firewalls we have seen and is priced competitively with firewalls that do far less. We encourage you to contact your CPS Representative to take a closer look at this award winning, revolutionary product. |
iSeries
Corner: Planning to Upgrade to SP4 for WIN2K? If you are running operations console with Windows 2000 there is something to be aware of. There is a problem with the console attaching to the system with Service Pack 4. The error that occurs is “General fault KERNAL32.DLL while running process CEBOPCON.EVE. IBM recommends not upgrading to SP4 or after the installation of SP4, installing hot fix 824301. This hot fix can be obtained directly from Microsoft Support. Please keep in mind that if you are installing a new system using SP4, you will not be able to set the system up until this patch is installed. For more information see APAR SE11182 at http://www-12.ibm.com/n_dir/nas4apar.nsf/$$Search?openform   |
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All this is done from an easy to use appliance connected to your network. It does not require agents or any additional software on your servers or desktops. And it auto-learns your network, identifying all servers, desktops, and other network devices on it’s own. This product will save you time and $$$$$s, reduce your downtime and increase the performance of your network. Call now and ask about our FREE Trial Program! |
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Packeteer – Ever wonder where all your bandwidth is going? Why your Internet connection slows to a crawl sometimes? Why Data Communications take longer at certain times of the day, week or month? Packeteer can answer these questions for you! It will allow you to see what users, applications, processes, or protocols are utilizing your bandwidth and easily allow you to assign or limit bandwidth on an hourly, daily, weekly, or monthly basis – Call CPS to find out more. Quicksilver Manufacturing and Distribution Software – Looking for new software for your business? Quicksilver is a full featured, Internet ready product that has everything you need to streamline your business processes. Find out why IBM has picked this product to preload on their iSeries servers for SMB Businesses - We would be happy to supply you with more information. Genicom-Tally Printers – Genicom-Tally has introduced a new line of laser printers with some impressive innovations; first, these intelligent printers can be put in place of any printer (lasers, dot matrix, even line printers) in your network,–WITHOUT ANY RECONFIGURATION! The onboard processor analyzes the print stream type and sets itself up automatically. These innovative printers can also store forms onboard to save you money on preprinted forms and reduce your network traffic. Competitively priced, these heavy duty printers have twice the duty cycle and useful life of the competition. Call us for pricing and information. |
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| A note from the President of
CPS Technology Solutions.
For over 20 years, CPS has been dedicated to providing our customers the best products, services and solutions for their IT needs. Whether it is Network Design, IT Outsourcing, troubleshooting, maintenance or solution implementation, we can do the job quickly, efficiently and cost effectively. We are dedicated to going that extra mile to insure customer satisfaction. If you are currently a customer, we say Thank you and if you’re not, we hope you will give us the opportunity to serve you. Robert B. Kennedy |
Consumables
We can supply - Toner Cartridges
Tape Cartridges
DVDs Ribbons CDs Inkjet Cartridges Maintenance Kits Printheads Cleaning Cartridges |
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CPS Technology Solutions Inc. · 3949 County Road 116 · Hamel, Minnesota 55340
1-800-438-4202 ·
763-553-1514 · Fax:
763-553-9058 · Website: www.cpsts.com
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