Michelle Drolet

Whether you choose to embrace it or you try to resist it, the BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) trend is set to grow. The Cisco IBSG Horizons Study found that 78% of white-collar workers in the U.S. use a mobile device for work purposes and 41% of respondents indicated a majority of smartphones connecting to their company network are actually employee-owned. If you don't already have a BYOD policy then you need one right now. The trouble is that employees will connect to your network and use their personal mobile devices for work whether you allow it or not. In the past your company network could afford to be hard on the outside and soft on the inside, but nowadays you need to be hard on the inside too. Creating a Solid BYOD Policy There's no one-size-fits-all solution for a problem like this. In creating a policy you have to consider what devices you'll need to support, h... (more)

Patch as Patch Can: All Software Is Flawed

Many IT departments have weak patching processes - especially on the client-side. And it's no wonder - patching is tough. Across all industries and platforms, the Window of Exploit (WOE) - that is, the time lag between announced discovery and the availability of a patch - for web-based vulnerabilities is a whopping 233 days, according to WhiteHat Security. This leaves your organization exposed for an unacceptably long period of time. It may not be glamorous, but a meticulous patching program is necessary to prevent server and client-side exploits. HP's DVLabs and other research ba... (more)