Taking a glance at the big screen watching the beautiful game. It immediately catches my attention the now great -in every sense- variety of teams from all parts of the world.
Not that they did not participate before, but certainly all countries have greatly improved their games and it is fascinating to watch the different styles against each other. The predominance of European and South-American teams of years gone, along with their results predictions, has been nicely replaced with wonder and amazement at what the newer emerging countries can do when providing and facing such a variety of styles.
The results are somehow unpredictable: control vs. speed vs. height vs. force vs. precision vs. time vs. effort vs. technique vs. individualism vs. rehearsal …
I've been fortunate enough to have worked in companies that allow diversity, and most of those even encourage it. While it is difficult to manage such a variety of ideas, work styles, business background culture and so on; the truth is that the results are way better than if the teams were composed of similarly minded individuals.
In fact, the best products of collective minds: be it cars, NGOs, computers, movies, policies, et cetera; are those crafted by a team: the more diversified, the better the results.
Diversity at play. It is, in fact, a beautiful game.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Monday, June 7, 2010
Easy days, busy days
All is well, work flows nicely, another day of accomplishments, successes, deadlines met, budgets not exceeded, evenings with loved ones... life's good.
And then, Bam! Something goes wrong: which means long work hours, weekends become nonexistent, mind is busy all the time, lack of proper sleep contributes to the frustration, stress and extra pressure to solve the issues.
I love it. Really.
Another lesson learned, the day to day tasks will become easier after this experience; and all in all, it is just part of the roller-coaster ride, if there were no ups, there would not be any downs. No rush, no calm; no heat, no cold; ...wavelengthed life...
So, no time for much reading or editing. Gotta get back to whatever it was I was doing before this 10 minutes respite.
See you later when the storm disappears and clear skies help the recently watered flowers bloom.
And then, Bam! Something goes wrong: which means long work hours, weekends become nonexistent, mind is busy all the time, lack of proper sleep contributes to the frustration, stress and extra pressure to solve the issues.
I love it. Really.
Another lesson learned, the day to day tasks will become easier after this experience; and all in all, it is just part of the roller-coaster ride, if there were no ups, there would not be any downs. No rush, no calm; no heat, no cold; ...wavelengthed life...
So, no time for much reading or editing. Gotta get back to whatever it was I was doing before this 10 minutes respite.
See you later when the storm disappears and clear skies help the recently watered flowers bloom.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Computer efficiency and lifespan
Turns out the best way to make cars more efficient has nothing to do with fuel burning effectiveness or engine power: rather, eliminating all the extra weight components such as bumpers, air bags, reinforced frame, belts, power brakes, etc. would make it better if we could simply find the way to prevent cars from crashing.
In a similar fashion, computers carry a lot of extra “weight” we shouldn’t need in the first place: antivirus, firewalls, backup software, USB, VGA, Ethernet ports; anti-theft slots and frames, fans, etcetera.
For some of those physical components, there are chips, services and/or programs that need to work every time to make such mechanisms work.
The extra services, programs and packages that run all the time in order to “secure” our systems make them work harder, and therefore take up valuable resources that would make our tasks simpler, and computers work faster and last longer were they not so hugely utilized.
Although we are moving towards more efficient processors, more secure Operating Systems and applications, and better detection and prevention from malign physical threats and those from the Web, there is still a long way to go on these regards.
Then, what can we do then to make our systems last longer while making them perform better?
+ Acquire computers with the latest electronics technologies. Saving a couple hundred up front buying a discounted older or less capable system will only cause more expenditure through time (let alone the headaches).
+ The latest OSs are way more efficient than their older siblings, and newer packages are not only ‘faster’ but also better designed and protected against data loss and malware. Acquire/upgrade as soon as your budget allows.
+ Lightweight Internet Security Suites, online backup packages, hosted email and similar services make a huge difference in resources utilization. Choose the ones that perform better without over-bloating your systems.
+ Avoid installing programs that do nothing for you, whether they are “free” or paid for, if there is no real need to have them, do not even download them.
Basically, think about what you carry in your car on a daily basis. It is only the essentials for your day to day chores, right?
If what you really need is a van or a truck, then the same analogy applies to computers.
In a similar fashion, computers carry a lot of extra “weight” we shouldn’t need in the first place: antivirus, firewalls, backup software, USB, VGA, Ethernet ports; anti-theft slots and frames, fans, etcetera.
For some of those physical components, there are chips, services and/or programs that need to work every time to make such mechanisms work.
The extra services, programs and packages that run all the time in order to “secure” our systems make them work harder, and therefore take up valuable resources that would make our tasks simpler, and computers work faster and last longer were they not so hugely utilized.
Although we are moving towards more efficient processors, more secure Operating Systems and applications, and better detection and prevention from malign physical threats and those from the Web, there is still a long way to go on these regards.
Then, what can we do then to make our systems last longer while making them perform better?
+ Acquire computers with the latest electronics technologies. Saving a couple hundred up front buying a discounted older or less capable system will only cause more expenditure through time (let alone the headaches).
+ The latest OSs are way more efficient than their older siblings, and newer packages are not only ‘faster’ but also better designed and protected against data loss and malware. Acquire/upgrade as soon as your budget allows.
+ Lightweight Internet Security Suites, online backup packages, hosted email and similar services make a huge difference in resources utilization. Choose the ones that perform better without over-bloating your systems.
+ Avoid installing programs that do nothing for you, whether they are “free” or paid for, if there is no real need to have them, do not even download them.
Basically, think about what you carry in your car on a daily basis. It is only the essentials for your day to day chores, right?
If what you really need is a van or a truck, then the same analogy applies to computers.
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Fortune 500 and Symantec
On May 3, 2010 Fortune Magazine released the Fortune 500 list. The volume (161, Number 6) is a heavy one; weighting more than any other magazine published this month, and more than any regular night time fiction novel.
On page 15, opposite to the “Welcome to the 2010 Fortune 500” Letter from the Publisher, the full page ad reads:
Are you prepared to face today’s biggest IT risks?
- Confidence in a connected world (S) Symantec.
Then from pages 211 to 237 (or F-1 to F-26) each footer ad is a Symantec one. Some of the main messages from those mini-ads alternate the following two sentences; along with brief paragraphs that contain and highlight these points:
PUT SECURITY FIRST –data loss prevention –encryption –Web security –endpoint protection –virtualization management
CONTROL YOUR DATA –archiving –deduplication –disaster recovery –green IT –storage software –Symantec Hosted Services
It is obvious that Symantec sponsored the list. For those of us not around technology names or new to the IT world; know that Symantec is the company that bought/merged with smaller and diversified ones that produced and sold products such as Norton Antivirus, System Works, WinFAX, Veritas Backup, pcAnywhere, and many others.
The Symantec Corporation now focuses exclusively on services, software and devices that have only one purpose: secure data (PUT SECURITY FIRST and CONTROL YOUR DATA).
The company is ranked 353 in the Fortune 500, and number 3 as a software company after Microsoft (36) and Oracle (105). Its 2009 revenues were US$6,150,000.00.
If a company of these qualifications is trying to -finally- convey the signature on each of those ads: Confidence in a connected world message to readers of such publication; what should we take from it?
The Confidence in a connected world translation is simple: Self- Assurance in an Internet based environment.
Or, using trendy words: Security (your data) in a Cloud-Computing environment.
Is it just coincidental that Computotal CSI has been focusing on Total Data Security for the past 15+ years?
Proud to be part of such a futuristic enterprise.
On page 15, opposite to the “Welcome to the 2010 Fortune 500” Letter from the Publisher, the full page ad reads:
Are you prepared to face today’s biggest IT risks?
- Confidence in a connected world (S) Symantec.
Then from pages 211 to 237 (or F-1 to F-26) each footer ad is a Symantec one. Some of the main messages from those mini-ads alternate the following two sentences; along with brief paragraphs that contain and highlight these points:
PUT SECURITY FIRST –data loss prevention –encryption –Web security –endpoint protection –virtualization management
CONTROL YOUR DATA –archiving –deduplication –disaster recovery –green IT –storage software –Symantec Hosted Services
It is obvious that Symantec sponsored the list. For those of us not around technology names or new to the IT world; know that Symantec is the company that bought/merged with smaller and diversified ones that produced and sold products such as Norton Antivirus, System Works, WinFAX, Veritas Backup, pcAnywhere, and many others.
The Symantec Corporation now focuses exclusively on services, software and devices that have only one purpose: secure data (PUT SECURITY FIRST and CONTROL YOUR DATA).
The company is ranked 353 in the Fortune 500, and number 3 as a software company after Microsoft (36) and Oracle (105). Its 2009 revenues were US$6,150,000.00.
If a company of these qualifications is trying to -finally- convey the signature on each of those ads: Confidence in a connected world message to readers of such publication; what should we take from it?
The Confidence in a connected world translation is simple: Self- Assurance in an Internet based environment.
Or, using trendy words: Security (your data) in a Cloud-Computing environment.
Is it just coincidental that Computotal CSI has been focusing on Total Data Security for the past 15+ years?
Proud to be part of such a futuristic enterprise.
Monday, May 24, 2010
Secure your Data
Where does your data reside? Do you carry it with you? How? Is it instead somewhere in what some people call “servers”? A combination of these?
Is your data important? Could you survive without it?
Wouldn’t it be nice not to carry your data around on laptops or storage units, and instead know exactly where it is and be able to access it at anytime from anywhere?
We’ll get there soon. Actually, some companies are already there: from documents to full databases to email and more, there are a lot of providers that already offer all kind of services for us to have all of our data –and processes- living “on-the-cloud”. This is, Cloud-Computing or SaaS: Software as a Service.
Some of us are still reluctant to do this, or we are worried about the fact that we could lose control over our data not knowing exactly where it is. Or rather, we are so used to “feeling” our data in our hands that the simple thought of not having it with us is like not having it at all.
So, in this “felt” scenario we are also used to backing our data up to even more physical devices so that we sleep well knowing our data is safe.
Until the day comes when we make the mental switch and convince ourselves that the cloud is more secure than our portable devices, we will continue to have the need to back it up, either to more devices (or to the cloud!)
In brief, until all our data resides on the cloud, it is necessary to save it and keep it secured.
There will also come a time when it will be cheaper to replace than to fix laptops, whether those are Windows based, Macs, Linux based, iPads or Blackberries. It will be as common as replacing cellphones was by the end of last century.
Some of us already interchangeably use a smartphone, a laptop or any computer’s Web browsers to access our email. As simple as it is now to do this, it will also be to access the rest of our data: whether it is proposals, spreadsheets, diagrams, movies or books. calendars, to-do lists and contacts too. All we need is a device that connects to the Web and presto! We are productive. No need to carry data, no need for briefcases, no need to be in the same cubicle every day.
So, before we make the full move to a Cloud-based business, we still have to protect our data. How?
Here is a very basic summary of the most important data protectors in your office:
1. UPS. But not the delivery company. UPS stands for “Uninterruptible Power Supply”.
If you have servers, you certainly have UPSs around. What these units do is protect equipment from electricity spikes, low and high voltage changes and even outages.
2. Computer storage redundancy/resiliency. Most common in desktops, workstations and (mandatory in) servers than in regular laptops, hard drives and storage units are mirrored so that if one of them is damaged, the other makes the whole system operate normally; the idea is to replace the damaged unit as soon as possible so that redundancy is attained again.
3. Operating System: MS Windows, Mac OS X, Ubuntu Linux, Google Chrome OS… whichever makes your computer/device be able to run software such as calendars, email programs or Web browsers is an OS. The newer it is and the more bits it operates on the better. For example, Windows 7 (version is 6.1! -not 7.0-) is better than Windows Vista (version 6.0) and even more than Windows XP (version is 5.1). And Windows 7 64-bit is better than Windows 7 32-bit.
4. Encryption. Barely used for its many “complications”. We only tend to encrypt very specific and important files and/or email messages. It is getting easier to implement and use, and nowadays we can encrypt not only individual files, but also entire folders; and even external memory units and hard drives, both internal and external.
5. Internet Security Suite. Of paramount importance: what most of us still refer to as “anti-virus” is most of the times a combination of anti-virus, anti-spam, anti-spyware… in brief: anti-malware.
Most suites also offer depending on vendor and package acquired a firewall, some kind of identity protection, browsing advisor features, et cetera.
6. VPN. Or similar technologies. So that whoever connects remotely to your network does so in a secure way. VPN stands for Virtual Private Network: there are no direct lines connecting offices or individual computers, rather the Internet is the conduit: by compressing and encrypting the information traveling so that prying eyes can’t do much to interpret what is being sent over “open wires”.
7. Email access. Local vs. Web based… this is getting complicated now: it is very likely that your company email is not in your physical servers. It might be, but it’s becoming easier, cheaper, faster and more ubiquitous to simply connect to the email servers on the cloud than having resources put in place to manage company’s email. Anyway, the more on-the-cloud email services you have, the better.
Are we there yet?
8. Data Backup (its main purpose: data recovery). Fortunately for all of us, on-line data backup is mature enough so that there are many options nowadays, and so are the different levels of services attached to those. From pricing to likes to features. There was a time long ago when we used to back up our data with no encryption and awkward compression using external devices such as Hard Drives, Disks, and –believe it or not- tape cassettes!
Go over the list again. Please bear in mind this is in reality an oversimplification of the terms and technologies around each of the points listed. However, if any of these is missing in your environment, better to start asking your IT department questions.
Is your data important? Could you survive without it?
Wouldn’t it be nice not to carry your data around on laptops or storage units, and instead know exactly where it is and be able to access it at anytime from anywhere?
We’ll get there soon. Actually, some companies are already there: from documents to full databases to email and more, there are a lot of providers that already offer all kind of services for us to have all of our data –and processes- living “on-the-cloud”. This is, Cloud-Computing or SaaS: Software as a Service.
Some of us are still reluctant to do this, or we are worried about the fact that we could lose control over our data not knowing exactly where it is. Or rather, we are so used to “feeling” our data in our hands that the simple thought of not having it with us is like not having it at all.
So, in this “felt” scenario we are also used to backing our data up to even more physical devices so that we sleep well knowing our data is safe.
Until the day comes when we make the mental switch and convince ourselves that the cloud is more secure than our portable devices, we will continue to have the need to back it up, either to more devices (or to the cloud!)
In brief, until all our data resides on the cloud, it is necessary to save it and keep it secured.
There will also come a time when it will be cheaper to replace than to fix laptops, whether those are Windows based, Macs, Linux based, iPads or Blackberries. It will be as common as replacing cellphones was by the end of last century.
Some of us already interchangeably use a smartphone, a laptop or any computer’s Web browsers to access our email. As simple as it is now to do this, it will also be to access the rest of our data: whether it is proposals, spreadsheets, diagrams, movies or books. calendars, to-do lists and contacts too. All we need is a device that connects to the Web and presto! We are productive. No need to carry data, no need for briefcases, no need to be in the same cubicle every day.
So, before we make the full move to a Cloud-based business, we still have to protect our data. How?
Here is a very basic summary of the most important data protectors in your office:
1. UPS. But not the delivery company. UPS stands for “Uninterruptible Power Supply”.
If you have servers, you certainly have UPSs around. What these units do is protect equipment from electricity spikes, low and high voltage changes and even outages.
2. Computer storage redundancy/resiliency. Most common in desktops, workstations and (mandatory in) servers than in regular laptops, hard drives and storage units are mirrored so that if one of them is damaged, the other makes the whole system operate normally; the idea is to replace the damaged unit as soon as possible so that redundancy is attained again.
3. Operating System: MS Windows, Mac OS X, Ubuntu Linux, Google Chrome OS… whichever makes your computer/device be able to run software such as calendars, email programs or Web browsers is an OS. The newer it is and the more bits it operates on the better. For example, Windows 7 (version is 6.1! -not 7.0-) is better than Windows Vista (version 6.0) and even more than Windows XP (version is 5.1). And Windows 7 64-bit is better than Windows 7 32-bit.
4. Encryption. Barely used for its many “complications”. We only tend to encrypt very specific and important files and/or email messages. It is getting easier to implement and use, and nowadays we can encrypt not only individual files, but also entire folders; and even external memory units and hard drives, both internal and external.
5. Internet Security Suite. Of paramount importance: what most of us still refer to as “anti-virus” is most of the times a combination of anti-virus, anti-spam, anti-spyware… in brief: anti-malware.
Most suites also offer depending on vendor and package acquired a firewall, some kind of identity protection, browsing advisor features, et cetera.
6. VPN. Or similar technologies. So that whoever connects remotely to your network does so in a secure way. VPN stands for Virtual Private Network: there are no direct lines connecting offices or individual computers, rather the Internet is the conduit: by compressing and encrypting the information traveling so that prying eyes can’t do much to interpret what is being sent over “open wires”.
7. Email access. Local vs. Web based… this is getting complicated now: it is very likely that your company email is not in your physical servers. It might be, but it’s becoming easier, cheaper, faster and more ubiquitous to simply connect to the email servers on the cloud than having resources put in place to manage company’s email. Anyway, the more on-the-cloud email services you have, the better.
Are we there yet?
8. Data Backup (its main purpose: data recovery). Fortunately for all of us, on-line data backup is mature enough so that there are many options nowadays, and so are the different levels of services attached to those. From pricing to likes to features. There was a time long ago when we used to back up our data with no encryption and awkward compression using external devices such as Hard Drives, Disks, and –believe it or not- tape cassettes!
Go over the list again. Please bear in mind this is in reality an oversimplification of the terms and technologies around each of the points listed. However, if any of these is missing in your environment, better to start asking your IT department questions.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
UPS
But not the delivery company. UPS stands for ‘Uninterruptible Power Supply’.
If you have servers, you certainly have UPSs around. What these units do is protect equipment from electricity spikes, low and high voltage changes and even outages. They contain a battery that helps equipment continue to operate when there is no electricity power on the grid, communication between the UPS and the server/computer allows to shutdown properly when a certain minimal battery threshold is reached, so that damage is minimized.
Do invest money when selecting a UPS for your main equipment; a couple hundred extra might make the difference between business continuity and business closed.
Because your main equipment is the original repository of data, it is of paramount importance to protect it.
If you have servers, you certainly have UPSs around. What these units do is protect equipment from electricity spikes, low and high voltage changes and even outages. They contain a battery that helps equipment continue to operate when there is no electricity power on the grid, communication between the UPS and the server/computer allows to shutdown properly when a certain minimal battery threshold is reached, so that damage is minimized.
Do invest money when selecting a UPS for your main equipment; a couple hundred extra might make the difference between business continuity and business closed.
Because your main equipment is the original repository of data, it is of paramount importance to protect it.
Computer storage redundancy/resiliency
Most common in desktops, workstations and (mandatory in) servers than in regular laptops, hard drives and storage units are mirrored -or in a similar arrangement- so that if one of them is damaged, the other(s) make(s) the whole system operate normally; the idea is to replace the broken unit as soon as possible so that redundancy is attained again.
There are many ways to achieve redundancy in the internal storage units on servers and networked storage devices. The main point here is to make sure that hardware does not become an issue for keeping our data safe. Power outages and current spikes, heat, regular wear and such could cause such damage.
Obviously, the better the storage units’ quality, number of them, and array type will secure data better.
There are many ways to achieve redundancy in the internal storage units on servers and networked storage devices. The main point here is to make sure that hardware does not become an issue for keeping our data safe. Power outages and current spikes, heat, regular wear and such could cause such damage.
Obviously, the better the storage units’ quality, number of them, and array type will secure data better.
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