Journal of Global Information Technology Management (JGITM) is a multidisciplinary journal. JGITM publishs articles and reports related to all aspects of the application of information technology for international business. The Journal is international in all aspects.

Journal of Global Information Technology Management (JGITM) is a multidisciplinary journal. JGITM publishs articles and reports related to all aspects of the application of information tec (more…)

Repeaters (Layer 1) – amplify signal, no added intelligence, no filtering

Hubs (Layer 1) – used to connect multiple LAN devices, no added intelligence

Bridges (Layer 2)

• Amplifies signal and adds some intelligence
• Forwards the data to all network segments if the Media Access Control (MAC) or hardware address of the destination computer is not on the local network segment
• Automatically forwards all broadcast traffic

Planning to take the CISSP Exam? Get a copy of my personal notes (300plus pages worth) that I used to pass the exam for only $25.00. Click the Add To Cart Button to Purchase Plus you will also get copies of notes from other CISSPs. Learn more about this package by visiting this blog entry: CISSP REVIEW NOTES I USED TO PASS THE EXAM. CLICK BELOW TO MAKE YOUR PURCHASE NOW. All Purchases are securely processed through Paypal. Once you click the button please check your shopping cart at the upper right hand side of the page to complete your order. IMPORTANT NOTICE: I MANUALLY REVIEW ALL ORDERS. SO ONCE YOU PURCHASE THE PRODUCT, THERE WILL BE SOME DELAY ON YOU RECEIVING AN E-MAIL FROM ME WITH THE LINK TO THE DOWNLOAD AREA OF THE PRODUCT. YOU WILL GET A RESPONSE FROM ME WITHIN 24-48 HOURS. You may also want to consider these CISSP resources from Amazon.com

Switches (Layer 2) – Will only send data to the port where the destination MAC address is, not to all ports

Routers (Layer 3) – opens packet and looks at either MAC or IP address and forwards the packet to the destination network

Gateways – primarily software, can be multi-protocol and can examine the entire packet

Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) Switches – use relay technology and typically used in WANs and CANs.

LAN Extenders

• Remote access multi-layer switch connected to a host router
• Filters based on MAC address, but not capable of firewalling

WAN Technologies

• Rules for communicating between computers on a WAN
• Communications between large disparate networks

Private Circuit Technologies

• Evolved before packet switching networks
• Dedicated analog or digital point-to-point connection
• Serial Line Internet Protocol (SLIP), Point-to-Pont Protocol (PPP), ISDN and xDSL
• Dedicated Line – indefinitely and continuously reserved for transmissions
• Leased Line – type of dedicated line leased from a carrier

Types and Speeds of Leased Lines

Digital Signal Level 0 (DS0) – single channel at 64KBps on a T1

Digital Signal Level 1 (DS1) – 1.544 MBps in US on a T1 and 2.108 MBps in Europe on an E1

Digital Signal Level 3 (DS3) – 44.736 MBps on a T3

T1 – transmits DS-1 data at 1.544 MBps on telephone switching network

T3 – transmits DS-3 data at 44.736 MBps on telephone switching network

E1 – predominantly used in Europe and carries data at 2.108 MBps

E3 – predominantly used in Europe and carries data at 34.368 MBps

SLIP (Serial Line Internet Protocol)

• Developed in 1984 to support TCP/IP over low speed serial interfaces
• Using Windows NT RAS, NT computers can use TCP/IP and SLIP to communicate to remote hosts

PPP (Point to Point Protocol)

• Used over dial-up and dedicated links
• Includes login, password and error correction
• Operates at Layer 2 and uses CHAP and PAP

ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network)

• Integration of digital telephony and data transport
• Digitization of the telephone network, allowing voice, data, etc.
• Overtaken by DSL

xDSL (Digital Subscriber Line)

• Uses existing twisted pair telephone lines
• ADSL (Asymmetric DSL)
  • More bandwidth downstream (1.5 to 9 MBps) than upstream (16 to 640 KBps)
  • Works at 18000 ft theoretical lengths and 14400 ft practical lengths over copper twisted pair
• SDSL (Single-line DSL)
  • Provides from 144 KBps up to 1.544 MBps in both downstream and upstream traffic, depending on the distance from the carriers point of presence (POP) over copper twisted pair
  • Works at 10000 ft lengths
• HDSL (High-rate DSL)
  • 1.544 MBps both up and down over two copper twisted pair (T1 speed)
  • Can do 2.048 MBps on three copper twisted pair
• VDSL – (Very High-rate DSL)
  • 13-52 MBps down and 1.5 MB to 2.3 MBps upstream over single copper twisted pair operating range 1,000 – 4,500 feet

You may also want to consider these CISSP resources from Amazon.com

Thoroughly Updated Sixth Edition! Social networks are transforming how people communicate, work, and play. This comprehensive new edition highlights this new technology and scores of others that are changing how organizations operate and compete in the current global environment. The cover depicts two examples of social network. The larger image is a visualization of the trust relationships in a web-based social network. The smaller figures are default avatars from Second (more…)

Information technology has changed how businesses operate and succeed in today’s global economy. Organizations can now use IT to transform themselves and achieve a tremendous competitive advantage. Information Technology for Management: Transforming Organizations in the Digital Economy, Seventh Edition highlights how this new technology is changing the current business environment and what effect it has on today’s students.  The text addresses the major principles of MIS in (more…)

One thing that I’d like to point out though, it does not take a genius to create a strong password, which for all accounts and purposes there is no such thing. It gives as much protection as a locked door knob to your house. It gives you a layer of protection, but not the protection. Just like a door knob, it can help prevent casual intruders, but not those who are really intent in breaking in. But, I digress.

In any case, I figured I give a quick comment on this matter since this somehow ties in to what I do for a living and what I preach to users practically on a daily basis.

First point of fact: It does not take a genius, knowledge of nuclear science or for that matter hours of deliberation to create a strong password. Typically a password with 8 characters utilizing 3 of the 4 types of characters in your keyboard is often sufficient.

Password1 is a strong password. Although I would not recommend using this password exactly, it meets the requirements I stated above. It has more than 8 characters, uses the upper case letter, lower case letter and a number, 3 of the 4 types of characters required. To make this password even technically stronger, add a special character, i.e. !Password1.

Now was that hard?

Second point of fact: even if your company requires you to change your password regularly, you don’t need to build a special database to maintain all these passwords. Going back to our Password1 example, if you need to change it, develop a simple system that will be easy to remember and follow. In this case a simple change, such as Password2, will often be sufficient. So all you have to remember is that you changed your password to the next number up. Many companies only prevent users from re-using passwords within the first three changes, so if your company requires a password change once very quarter, you can rotate from Password1 to Password4 every year: Password1 for the first quarter, Password2 for the second quarter and so on.

Now was that too time consuming?

Third and final point of fact: Companies and organizations who require password set-ups far and above what I mentioned above, i.e. requiring passwords 14 characters long, requiring all 4 character types used and not allowing reuse of passwords even after 4 or more changes (yes I’ve run into policies like these) are who this article should be referring to. In my personal and professional opinion, these policies, for a lack of a better word, are moronic policies and do not provide the organization with better benefits or security. They often tend make the organization more insecure as users will find ways to circumvent these rules like writing it on a post-it note and pasting it on the monitor. How many of you have passwords written behind your keyboard?

So what do I do personally?

Personally, I maintain only three password combinations and don’t change them unless I really have to. If I have to, I typically just do the slight variations that I mentioned above and no, Password1 is not one of them.

To read about the research by Cormac Herley mentioned in the article: The Rational Rejection of Security Advice by Users.

On a side note, I just found it peculiar that the research was sanctioned by Microsoft, a company well-recognized for their vigilance in maintaining the security of their products.

Review

Ray Guidone, “I feel the author has done a good job of keeping the text simple and well directed.”

Information is traveling faster and being shared by more individuals than ever before. Information Technology Project Management, Sixth Edition offers the “behind-the-scene” aspect of technology. Although project management has been an established field for many years, managing information technology requires ideas and information that go beyond standar (more…)

This completely revised edition of the best-selling Information Technology Project Management recreates the experience of dozens of projects, both successful and failed, to provide a real-world context for learning. The author explains the foundations of project management – project integration, scope, time, cost, quality, human resources, communications, risk, and procurement – using the experiences of real-life businesses. This new fourth edition includes a running case, new (more…)

Presents how to apply sound management practices to technology with particular attention given to “solid foundations that remain steady” and how they will be impacted by telecommunications, the Internet, electronic commerce, and networked applications.

About the Author

Carroll Frenzel received his Ph.D. in Atmosphere Physics and Systems Engineering from the University of Arizona in Tucson. Upon graduation, he joined IBM as a programmer and advanced through (more…)

• Physical & Data Link Layers
• Controls the use of a network

Ethernet 802.3

• Uses CSMA/CD
• Designed for sporadic traffic
• Defines a bus topology with 3 different cabling standards:
  • Thinnet (10Base2) – coax with segments up to 185 meters
  • Thicknet (10Base5) – coax with segments up to 500 meters
  • Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP) – all devices connected to a hub or a switch

Planning to take the CISSP Exam? Get a copy of my personal notes (300plus pages worth) that I used to pass the exam for only $25.00. Click the Add To Cart Button to Purchase Plus you will also get copies of notes from other CISSPs. Learn more about this package by visiting this blog entry: CISSP REVIEW NOTES I USED TO PASS THE EXAM. CLICK BELOW TO MAKE YOUR PURCHASE NOW. All Purchases are securely processed through Paypal. Once you click the button please check your shopping cart at the upper right hand side of the page to complete your order. IMPORTANT NOTICE: I MANUALLY REVIEW ALL ORDERS. SO ONCE YOU PURCHASE THE PRODUCT, THERE WILL BE SOME DELAY ON YOU RECEIVING AN E-MAIL FROM ME WITH THE LINK TO THE DOWNLOAD AREA OF THE PRODUCT. YOU WILL GET A RESPONSE FROM ME WITHIN 24-48 HOURS. You may also want to consider these CISSP resources from Amazon.com

ARCNet (802.5)

• Early LAN technologies
• Uses token passing in a Star topology on coax cable

Token Ring

• Second to Ethernet
• All end stations connected to a Multistation Access Unit (MSAU)
• One station is designated as the Active Monitor
• IF a transmitting station fails, the Active monitor will remove the token and generate a new one

Fiber Distributed Data Interface (FDDI)

• Dual token ring LAN at 100 MBps on Fiber
• Dual counter rotating rings only one active at a time
• Operates over long distances with minimal interference
• Predictable delays, deterministic
• Permits several tokens to be present at a time
• Expensive and requires special expertise
• Copper Distributed Data Interface – can be used with UTP cable, but subject to interference and length issues associated with copper

You may also want to consider these CISSP resources from Amazon.com

One of the key determinants of success for today’s high-technology companies is product strategy–and this guide continues to be the only book on product strategy written specifically for the 21st century high-tech industry. More than 250 examples from technological leaders including IBM, Compaq, and Apple–plus a new focus on growth strategies and on Internet businesses–define how high-tech companies can use product strategy and product platform strategy for competitiveness, p (more…)