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Networks suffer backup blues
Network Security
able to protect their networks against access via the Internet through the two-factor authentication, They claim that their high levels of security are essential for the increasing number of corporations around the world which use the Internet to conduct business. With the number of Internet users forecast to reach 90 million by 1997, there is an obvious need for a solution that gives corporations full Internet access without compromising network security. For.further information, con tat t: Security Dynamics Inc.; tel: +44 I 15 921 2523.
The ‘Touchloc k’ security device TouchLock, designed to reduce computer theft, has been released by Ethan Adams and Associates, in the UK. TouchLock consists of a combination of unique hardware and software to provide both access control and data security, using encryption technology. The product consists of two elements: a sensor device which is attached to the PC; and a TouchKEY which the user retains. The sensor is connected to the PC using a small feed-through device, which contains one connector that plugs into the printer port, with a second for attaching the printer. The sensor device is physically attached to the side of the PC and connected by a short piece of wire. Each user has their own separate TouchKEY which contains a serial number in a ROM that is unique to each user. When booting up, the user is prompted to press the
June 1995
TouchKEY into the sensor device and then asked to present their password which has been preset in the PC in encrypted form. The software reads the TouchKEY and uses it as an encryption key to encode data as it is read. The data can be encrypted using either the Touchlock proprietary algorithm, or the DES algorithm. The data is accessible only when the user presents the correct TouchKEY password. The software also includes: ViruSTOP, an anti-viral feature; SysLOCK for locking the keyboard, screen and mouse; and Audit Trail to provide a full event tracking system. For further information, con tat t: Des Desai, E than A dams; tel: +44 1530 830860.
Networks suffer bat kup blues Chris Bucholtz One out of every four client/server LANs suffers severe problems with backup failures occurring as often as 40% of the time, a new survey of users reveals. The survey, conducted by Strategic Research Corp. in Santa Barbara, California, found that the average LAN suffered a backup failure 10.8 times a month, and open files during backup accounted for 9.7 of these failures. “If you look at Unix and PC LANs, you’ll find that the problems are identical”, said Michael Peterson, president of Strategic Research. “In talking to LAN managers, we found that their backup processes failed about twice a week,
and the vast majority of these failures were caused by open files,” The open files interfere with the bat kup software and don’t permit current data to be recorded. Nearly 70% of these files were found to be open because users had neglected to close them after finishing. Peterson said that this failure rate points out the lack of backup programs that can ensure cooperation between operating systems, applications and the backup systems themselves. “It’s clear that there is a need for products that can convert data backup and do it transparently”, Peterson said. Stan Corker, director of storage research for International Data Corp., said the problem has been one that system managers have “had to live with for a hell of a long time. It’s not been much of an issue in systems where the backup takes place at night after the users have gone home”, Corker said. “Now, with systems that are alive 24 hours a day and databases that aren’t closed, backup is becoming a bit more significant.” For the time being, successful backup will require “administrator intervention”, and educating users that something as simple as an open word processing file could scuttle a day’s data, Peterson said. But for most people, backup is still a back-burner issue. “It’s not a pressing issue for most IS managers”, said Corker, “Most of them consider it to be part of the normal risk factor, and since no manufacturer has yet solved the open file issue, it’s clearly not a huge issue for them either.”
01995 Elsevier Science Ltd
able to protect their networks against access via the Internet through the two-factor authentication, They claim that their high levels of security are essential for the increasing number of corporations around the world which use the Internet to conduct business. With the number of Internet users forecast to reach 90 million by 1997, there is an obvious need for a solution that gives corporations full Internet access without compromising network security. For.further information, con tat t: Security Dynamics Inc.; tel: +44 I 15 921 2523.
The ‘Touchloc k’ security device TouchLock, designed to reduce computer theft, has been released by Ethan Adams and Associates, in the UK. TouchLock consists of a combination of unique hardware and software to provide both access control and data security, using encryption technology. The product consists of two elements: a sensor device which is attached to the PC; and a TouchKEY which the user retains. The sensor is connected to the PC using a small feed-through device, which contains one connector that plugs into the printer port, with a second for attaching the printer. The sensor device is physically attached to the side of the PC and connected by a short piece of wire. Each user has their own separate TouchKEY which contains a serial number in a ROM that is unique to each user. When booting up, the user is prompted to press the
June 1995
TouchKEY into the sensor device and then asked to present their password which has been preset in the PC in encrypted form. The software reads the TouchKEY and uses it as an encryption key to encode data as it is read. The data can be encrypted using either the Touchlock proprietary algorithm, or the DES algorithm. The data is accessible only when the user presents the correct TouchKEY password. The software also includes: ViruSTOP, an anti-viral feature; SysLOCK for locking the keyboard, screen and mouse; and Audit Trail to provide a full event tracking system. For further information, con tat t: Des Desai, E than A dams; tel: +44 1530 830860.
Networks suffer bat kup blues Chris Bucholtz One out of every four client/server LANs suffers severe problems with backup failures occurring as often as 40% of the time, a new survey of users reveals. The survey, conducted by Strategic Research Corp. in Santa Barbara, California, found that the average LAN suffered a backup failure 10.8 times a month, and open files during backup accounted for 9.7 of these failures. “If you look at Unix and PC LANs, you’ll find that the problems are identical”, said Michael Peterson, president of Strategic Research. “In talking to LAN managers, we found that their backup processes failed about twice a week,
and the vast majority of these failures were caused by open files,” The open files interfere with the bat kup software and don’t permit current data to be recorded. Nearly 70% of these files were found to be open because users had neglected to close them after finishing. Peterson said that this failure rate points out the lack of backup programs that can ensure cooperation between operating systems, applications and the backup systems themselves. “It’s clear that there is a need for products that can convert data backup and do it transparently”, Peterson said. Stan Corker, director of storage research for International Data Corp., said the problem has been one that system managers have “had to live with for a hell of a long time. It’s not been much of an issue in systems where the backup takes place at night after the users have gone home”, Corker said. “Now, with systems that are alive 24 hours a day and databases that aren’t closed, backup is becoming a bit more significant.” For the time being, successful backup will require “administrator intervention”, and educating users that something as simple as an open word processing file could scuttle a day’s data, Peterson said. But for most people, backup is still a back-burner issue. “It’s not a pressing issue for most IS managers”, said Corker, “Most of them consider it to be part of the normal risk factor, and since no manufacturer has yet solved the open file issue, it’s clearly not a huge issue for them either.”
01995 Elsevier Science Ltd