If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to the RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!
We updated our Services page to give a better feel for some of the core services we offer, as an IT consulting, technology and services firm. Please check it out and let us know by contacting us here if you have any questions.
We are currently engaged in multiple projects, but are welcoming an inquiries, so that we can begin going forward… together.
Microsoft has made some changes to its enterprise software licensing agreements, which may affect the way you purchase and license your servers and their application software.
The modifications to their Enterprise Agreement (EA) stem from challenges faced by IT due to the state of the economy, as well as Microsoft’s response to industry interest sustained growth with cloud computing and virtualization, and to “strike a balance between providing traditional licensing solutions and expanding into new ways to purchase and use software like subscription and online purchasing”. (Quoted from recent Q&A with Joe Matz)
Customers can get this offer through the EA enrollment, and in signing up for Microsoft Enrollment for Application Platform, and choosing between two different licensing models. It is proposed that this can help lower costs, with up to 40 percent price savings.
Systems and models like cloud computing continue to innovate and challenge the typical mindset of application and server deployment. Many organizations are realizing large cost savings and reduced management requirements by leveraging virtualization and cloud computing in their environments, whether on a full scale, or pilot deployments.
Microsoft realizes the business model and justifications for leveraging cloud computing technology, whether internal or external federated clouds, has caused them to clearly evaluate their software licensing, and development. They recently released online services, Business Productivity Online Standard Suite, in competition with Google Apps suite.
Companies can continue to leverage their existing infrastructure, while evaluating, becoming comfortable with, and eventually transition to a cloud based business infrastructure where fit, using these and other services and products. With this, organizations such as the Cloud Security Alliance (CSA) are tasked with developing industry best practice and guidance to increased awareness and effectiveness of security with the cloud model.
Today, ISC SANS returned the Infocon status to green. They are hopeful that yesterday’s raising of the status to yellow increased awareness of the vulnerability.
Microsoft has released Windows Updates for multiple issues today, and one directly addresses the ActiveX vulnerability that caused the Infocon status to increase to yellow yesterday. Microsoft customers are recommended to deploy the new updates soon, in particular those rated with a Critical classification.
Read more about Microsoft’s latest updates along with executive summaries here, Microsoft Security Bulletin Summary for July 2009
Those with Automatic Updates enabled will receive the latest updates and they will be automatically installed
For more control over how the updates are deployed, Microsoft Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) are recommended to approve and install the updates
I have joined the Cloud Security Alliance group, as an individual member, and look forward to participating in the development and discussions of best practices for security in the cloud.
The Cloud Security Alliance a non-profit organization formed to promote the use of best practices for providing security assurance within Cloud Computing, and provide education on the uses of Cloud Computing to help secure all other forms of computing.
If you are interested, click here for information on how you can join and participate in the group.
—
Click here for an article, published on Keenpath.com, I wrote as a Brief Introduction to Cloud Computing
In a direct response to an increased amount of requests for more information about switching from Microsoft Exchange to Google Apps, a few weeks after Google announced Google Apps Sync for Microsoft Outlook, they created a page that links to migration and sync tools, reasons why to switch, and a couple of customer testimonial videos.
Click the jump link below to check out this page:
Switch from Microsoft Exchange to Google Apps
—–
Click here to learn about Keenpath’s Google Apps Professional Services.
ISC SANS (Internet Storm Center) diary handler Adrien de Beaupre posted an alert and information regarding the Microsoft advisory related to an Office Web Components ActiveX vulnerability. The ISC has increased Today’s Internet Threat Level to Yellow to raise awareness of this issue. Click the below jump link to view more details.
Vulnerability in Microsoft Office Web Components Control Could Allow Remote Code Execution
