Security Journal

In our previous articles, Introduction to SQL Server 2012 and Windows Azure Overview, we made references to Microsoft’s SQL Azure service. In this article we will take a closer look at its main features in more detail. SQL Azure is a relational database solution with the capability to support both Windows Azure and on-premise applications with minimum latency. It is considered a managed service and it’s offered by Microsoft to allow you to build applications without concerning yourself about the storage they’ll use. Being a cloud service, SQL Azure gives you all the benefits of the cloud including: The hardware and software that support the SQL database are all managed by Microsoft Patching and maintenance are also managed by Microsoft High availability and fault tolerance are guaranteed by an SLA (Service-level agreement) Per usage billing and the availability to s... (more)

Finally, a 21st Century Customer Service Solution: Our A+ Review of Zendesk

20th century customer service consisted of packed call centers, phones ringing off the hook, and large, convoluted databases of information to manage a never-ending stream of support requests. Cloud computing, and the introduction of powerful, business-specific software solutions, has changed that. There are hundreds of systems out there for handling contact management (CRM), project management, and sales workflows: likewise, there are more than a couple systems built for customer service. The best of the bunch is Zendesk, and we are psyched to award it an A+ and our seal of appr... (more)

Quantifying Reputation Loss from a Breach

It’s really easy to quantify some of the costs associated with a security breach. Number of customers impacted times the cost of a first class stamp plus the cost of a sheet of paper plus the cost of ink divided by … you get the picture. Some of the costs are easier than others to calculate. Some of them are not, and others appear downright impossible. One of the “costs” often cited but rarely quantified is the cost to an organization’s reputation. How does one calculate that? Well, if folks sat down with the business people more often (the ones that live on the other side of the... (more)

ICASI Releases Update to Its Standardized XML Framework for Reporting IT System Vulnerabilities: CVRF Version 1.1

The Industry Consortium for Advancement of Security on the Internet (ICASI), a nonprofit association dedicated to enhancing global IT security by proactively driving excellence and innovation in security response, today announced the publication of the latest version of its Common Vulnerability Reporting Framework (CVRF), Version 1.1. Enhancements in CVRF 1.1 offer users a more comprehensive and flexible format, while reducing duplication and the possibility of errors. CVRF is an XML-based framework that enables stakeholders across different organizations to share critical vulne... (more)

Why You DO Need a Firewall

Why You DO Need a Firewall By: Tom Kopchak This week, our office came across an article by Roger A. Grimes entitled “Why you don’t need a firewall”. As a security professional working for a company whose responsibilities include firewall management, I found the article to be extremely shortsighted, and borderline offensive. Normally, I’d encourage you to read the article in question, but your time is most certainly better spent doing nearly anything else. I would highly recommend learning home dentistry as a suitable alternative activity. Grimes argues that firewalls are becoming... (more)