Miles Associates LLC

Careers – Workplace Tech – ‘No’ Is No Longer an Acceptable IT Response
Judging by the recent swell of coverage of the clash between employee technology and workplace technology while IT plays both the middleman and the villain, it seems that the topic is burdening more than just technology careers writers.

An Aug. 6 report by the Yankee Group noted that 50 percent of employees reported that their personal technology was more advanced than their workplace’s technology. Analysts reasoned that IT could either ban employee technology, creating an endless game of whack-a-mole, or they could manage both the technology and the rogue employee. They advocated taking a “Zen” approach.

Gartner jumped onto the dog pile Aug. 15, referring to the IT challenge of managing employee-owned PCs as “anarchy knocking at the gates of IT security.” In the discussion, Gartner at first advocates an unwavering response to employee demand for network access.

This is old news, but I just caught it .  I was always impressed by Cambia’s solution for configuration management.  Does anyone know how the product and customers are doing now that it is nCircle?

nCircle Nabs Cambia Security
Security vendor nCircle announced May 23 that it has completed the acquisition of Cambia Security, a company specializing in agent-less configuration auditing.

Cambia makes Cambia CM, a tool that analyzes system configurations to ensure the configurations are in line with company policy and any applicable government regulations.

I’m not really recommending that you go to the link below… not because the information diplayed isn’t interesting; it is very interesting to any CIO or IT leader.  I don’t want you to go because I don’t want to promote this “slideshow” style of presentation because it delivers the info way too slowly…

Google vs. Microsoft in the Enterprise

Storm Worm Uses YouTube Ruse
Spammers are distributing the Storm Trojan via e-mails purporting to be from friends and containing a false link to a YouTube video.

Security pros are warning that distributors of the Storm Trojan are now using a YouTube video to lure users.

Contained in e-mails with subject lines such as “sheesh man what are you thinking,” the malicious link claims to go to YouTube.com, but actually goes to a URL harboring exploit code.

I’m sure we’ll hear an outcry from privacy advocates about this development. Perhaps one day in my lifetime Google will license live imagery to incorporate into their StreetView feature.

U.S. to Expand Domestic Use Of Spy Satellites – WSJ.com
The U.S.’s top intelligence official has greatly expanded the range of federal and local authorities who can get access to information from the nation’s vast network of spy satellites in the U.S.

Here is some detailed and thorough (30 pages) guidance from Microsoft:

SQL Server 2005 Security Best Practices – Operational and Administrative Tasks
This white paper covers some of the operational and administrative tasks associated with SQL Server 2005 security and enumerates best practices and operational and administrative tasks that will result in a more secure SQL Server system.

From CSO magazine: good advice for everyone to read

How to Survive a Violent Situation – CSOonline.com
When violence erupts, our first instincts are not always the best. Whether it’s an armed individual who enters the workplace or random gunfire in an open area, following these steps can increase your chance of survival.