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What is the Cloud and why should I care?

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It seems that everywhere I go I am being inundated with Cloud Computing.  It’s on radio talk shows, magazine advertisements, sitcoms, websites, and billboards.  Much like the marketing phase we all suffered through a couple of years ago where any product could be granted hipness by slapping an “i” or an “e” on the front of it’s name, marketing executives seem to think that any product can be transfored into cutting edge or revolutionary by placing the word “cloud” somewhere in the product’s name.  But what does this buzz word du jour really mean?  Why do I care if something is in “the cloud?”

At the most basic, cloud computing means that you can access data from your computer or phone where the data is hosted by someone on a server somewhere.  The server is in the cloud.  The beauty of cloud computing is that you don’t care who manages the servers, what software runs them or where they’re located.  The important part is that you can access your data or application very easily.

We all use the cloud in at least a limited sense.  For instance, Google.com is a cloud based app.  When you type in a search for best cheese curl recipe your query is sent of to banks and banks of servers somewhere.  You may be getting results from a server down the street or across the world.  It doesn’t really matter.  As far as we’re concerned, who cares what database system is processing my recipe request – as long as the answer to my question comes back fast and is the answer in the ballpark for what I wanted.

Although websites are the most obvious cloud application we run into, they’re not the only game in town.  At The Strickland Group, we’ve been using a cloud based backup product for a couple of years now.  It’s a server that sits on a client’s network and takes periodic backups throughout the day.  At night – or whenever the client’s off-peak internet bandwith hours are – this server compresses the day’s backups into one file, encrypts it with AES 256 bit encryption and sends it to a datacenter on the East Coast US.  From there the data is replicated to another datacenter on the West Coast.  This gives the client emergency disaster recovery capabilities if something happens to their server room.  This product has several other killer features such as the ability to create a virtual server from the most recent backups – if your mail server has a hardware issue, this device can build a virtual mail server that your employees can use without any action on their part until you can get the hardware issues repaired.  Really amazing technology.

Another up and coming cloud app is Cloud based antivirus.  This is a new slant on anti-virus software.  Essentially, your files are sent to the AV providers servers where they are scanned.  Your PC is not spending valuable CPU time scanning files because it’s all done on a server somewhere in the cloud.  You don’t have to keep virus definitions up to date, you don’t have to install the latest version, you don’t have to keep your computer on certain nights of the week so a scan will run.  All you really need is a very fast internet connection.

It will be interesting to see what comes of the cloud computing trend.  I think it’s safe to say that the buzz worthiness of the concept will wear off, but the technology of cloud computing is here to stay.  More and more of our online lives will be in the cloud.

Top 5 Security Programs for Home Users

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As more and more of our lives move online, protecting our personal information becomes ever more important and ever more of a challenge.  Additionally, there are so many different kinds of security risks these days including viruses, malware, spyware, phishing scams, denial of service attacks and many more.  And it’s only going to get worse as hackers and botnets become more sophisticated.

Fortunately, there are many great security products on the market right now.  Personally, I rely on a mixture of security software to keep my computers safe.  Each entry on the list performs a different function or blocks a different type of threat, and I’ll attempt to explain why each item is important.

Antivirus Software: AVG Antivirus

I have used and recommended AVG antivirus for home and corporate users for several years now.  I look for several things when selecting an antivirus solution and the free version of AVG’s software for home users hits every item on my list.  First, it doesn’t slow my computer down unreasonably.  Any software that is running is going to slow down a computer some and antivirus software is notoriously bad about this as it has to scan every file that is opened on a pc to make sure it’s a safe file.  AVG does a good job of scanning the computer but leaving enough processing power that I can continue to work.  Second, AVG keeps itself updated.  As new viruses are released into the wild on an hourly basis, an antivirus software is only able to protect against the viruses that it knows about.  AVG is really good about updating itself automatically with the latest virus database.

AntiSpyware software: Spybot Search and Destroy

Spybot is great software for analyzing every file on your computer and detecting unwanted adware of spyware.  It’s also very good at preventing spyware from being added to your PC.  We’ve probably all seen computers infested with spyware or adware – they usually get internet windows pop up on their screens either at random times or every time you do an internet search.  They make computing miserable.  It comes with a large database of known spyware or adware and the makers keep it up to date with the latest threats.

AntiMalware software: Malware Bytes

I cannot count the number of times this program has saved me from having to wipe and reload a computer.  Malware is a general term for malicious software including viruses, Trojans or worms.  Periodically, I’ll come across a computer infected with so much malware that is unuseable.  In some cases, the computer will boot and work for 5 or 10 minutes and then come to a crawl where the Start button will not even work.  In those cases, I turn to MalwareBytes to remove the bad software.  It usually is able to resuscitate a compromised PC.  You can also install malware bytes on a clean computer and it will run as a background process and prevent malicious software from being installed.

Microsoft Windows Defender

Windows defender is very similar to Spybot or malware bytes.  It is a great free product that runs in the background and protects your PC from programs that cause Pop-ups, slowdowns or other security threats.

Firewall software: Comodo Firewall Pro

This software is essential for laptops that connect to public wireless networks.  Every time your computer connects to the internet, it is at risk.  I read an article years ago that said that a computer with an internet connection and no security software can be compromised in 4 minutes.  Most offices or home networks have a router that have a built in firewall that is sufficient to protect your computers.  However, if you take your computer away from that firewall, Comodo can fill the void.  It scans every packet that comes in to your computer from the internet and blocks the undesirable stuff.  It’s also really easy to install, which is a major plus for most users.

Links:
AVG antivirus (http://free.avg.com)
Spybot Search and Destroy (http://www.safer-networking.org/en/index.html)
Malware Bytes (http://www.malwarebytes.org)
Microsoft Windows Defender (http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/winfamily/defender/default.mspx)
Comodo Firewall Pro (http://personalfirewall.comodo.com/)

Dangers of the Wild, Wild Web

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I read an article recently that said that FBI director Robert Mueller doesn’t use online banking at all because he almost fell for a classic “phishing” scam.  According to the article, he received an email that appeared to be from his bank and began following the instructions in the email.  Fortunately for his credit score, he caught on to the scam at the last minute.  In a classic knee jerk reaction, he now refuses to use internet banking at all.  What does this say about the state of internet security if someone with as much access to world-class security software as the director of the FBI is susceptible to internet fraud?

I certainly understand there are high risks to using internet banking.  I’ve read tons of horror stories about people whose financial lives have been ruined by identity theft.  We’ve all seen the fake emails from our bank, or from the IRS that look almost legitimate.  Even so, the convenience of internet banking outweighs the risks for me – as long as my wife and I practice safe computing.

Here are some tips for safe browsing:

  • Don’t click on links or attachments in emails you aren’t expecting.  If you need to do something at yoyr bank, go directly to your bank’s website.
  • Assume any message from your bank informing you that you need to sign in to update your information is junk.  Because of the prevalence of scans, most banks won’t use email to communicate this type of information.  You’ll get a letter in the mail or a pop-up on the website when you sign in.
  • Patch, patch, patch.  Keep your operating system and security software up to date.
  • Watch your account activity.  The best way to know if your accounts are compromised is to keep a close watch on the transactions.  The sooner you know about traffic that’s not yours, the better.
  • Use your annual free credit report.  We all get one free report a year.  Use it to see if any repair needs to be done.
  • If you have wi-fi at your house, don’t leave your computers on.  Wi-fi is a leaky vessel and embarassingly easy to compromise.  If you leave your computers sitting idle, connected to the internet for huge amounts of time, you’re asking for trouble.
  • Everyone needs a good firewall and good antivirus software.  There are plenty of free or cheap options available that do a pretty good job.