SCA

Network Security Audit

Tommy — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 23:34:15 +0000

Network security is a must for all organizations, small or large. Your corporate data must be safeguarded, and Southeastern Computer Associates offers a customizable approach to solving the network security puzzle.

A network security audit addresses physical access to servers; formal corporate security and network password policies; network-based anti-virus, anti-spyware, and anti-spam solutions; and network firewall installation and testing.

Taken together, these and other aspects constitute a Corporate Security Solution, tailored to your specific needs. Call SCA today to schedule a no-obligation, initial consultation.

Marketing Research Company – Atlanta, GA

Tommy — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 20:55:15 +0000

Our client is a marketing research company located in Atlanta, GA. Before February 2006, the client’s network consisted of 14 servers and 20 computers, which were maintained by a full-time IT manager and a full time database administrator. Their IT manager turned in his 2 week notice, notifying the client that he was resigning. The client quickly came to realize that there was no existing network documentation in place and that after two weeks they would be left in a very precarious situation. SCA was contracted to assist with the process of hiring a replacement IT manager and to quickly document the network.

During the documentation process SCA discovered that many of the servers could be consolidated. SCA was able to consolidate 14 servers down to just 7 servers and provide detailed documentation of the network configuration. SCA provided server administration and server maintenance training for the existing database administrator.

The consolidation, documentation and training that SCA provided allowed the client to postpone, and ultimately cancel, their plans of hiring a replacement IT manager. The existing database administrator continues to support the entire network with SCA providing on-call service as needed. The net, annual cost savings for the client is approximately $85,000 per year.

Architectural Woodwork Manufacturer – Atlanta, GA

Tommy — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 20:53:08 +0000

Our client is a $20 million per year architectural woodwork manufacturer located in the metro Atlanta area. Before March 2003, the client’s network consisted of 1 server and 40 computers. The network was setup and maintained by their Controller with help from an IT consulting company and a friend of the family. The network infrastructure was unstable and in disarray. There was no scheduled server or workstation maintenance, no hardware or software standards and no network user polices or procedures in place. SCA was brought in to stabilize the network infrastructure and to install and support new servers needed for major software additions.

SCA has since installed and supported a new file server, a Timberline accounting server, an ADP payroll server, a fail-over virtual server and a proprietary inventory/time tracking server. SCA has installed or replaced over 70 workstations, stabilized the network infrastructure, improved network security, and provided timely and effective end-user support. The client has experienced zero server downtime. By outsourcing their IT support the client is now able to focus on their core business and accounting duties. SCA currently supports 6 servers and over 70 workstations for $40,000 per year, which is approximately half the cost of a full-time IT person.

Property Management Company

Tommy — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 20:46:27 +0000

One client, a property management company, owns and manages approximately 30 multi-family communities across the U.S. Prior to April 2006, they employed a full-time IT manager, along with an outside IT consultant that was providing on-call support. The client was experiencing problems with server reliability and slow response times from their existing IT consultant. Southeastern Computer Associates (SCA) was brought in to replace the existing IT consultant, resolve server reliability problems, consolidate the network infrastructure, and provide a disaster recovery solution.

SCA provided a team of experienced engineers, consolidated the server infrastructure from 7 servers down to 4 servers, set up a server and workstation maintenance schedule, provided timely support for both the local corporate office and all remote properties and implemented a disaster recovery plan. The client has since experienced zero server downtime. The changes that SCA implemented allowed the client to completely outsource all of their IT support needs and reduce their annual IT support costs from $85,000 to $30,000.

Security – The Basics

Tommy — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 20:44:14 +0000

Security, in the world of computers, is a never-ending battle between opposing forces. We have the obvious, good vs. evil, but we also have security vs. ease of use. Today we’ll discuss practical, time-tested recommendations for security at home and at the office.

Home Networks

Whether your home is where you work or where you play, security is still a requirement. The obvious first layer of security would be an up-to-date anti-virus product followed closely by an up-to-date anti-spyware product. Vendors such as Trend Micro and Symantec now offer products that combine both needs into one offering.

The next crucial layer would be your firewall. Here’s where we talk about ease of use. Many of the computer publications you will read recommend a software-based personal firewall. In our experience, these products ask far too many questions that you cannot accurately answer. By and large they do a good job, but if you answer the questions incorrectly you’ve just granted permission for something bad to happen. For ease of use, we recommend a hardware-based firewall that has something special: Stateful Packet Inspection, or SPI. Both Netgear and LinkSys offer cost-effective router/firewalls with SPI. SPI actually inspects all of the information packets that are flowing in and out to the internet, and you never have to answer questions.

Office Networks

The recommendations are essentially the same for the corporate environment with a few adjustments. In the corporate environment we prefer to see an anti-virus and anti-spyware product that is centrally managed. Centralized management allows us to verify the status of each computer on the network from one location as opposed to going to each PC, thus resulting in both a long-term cost savings in terms of labor and a greater likelihood of actually checking since it’s much easier to do so.

With respect to the firewall, again SPI is a requirement, and we would add that the bigger the network the faster the firewall needs to be so as not to become a bottleneck for everyone. For that reason, corporate firewalls are more costly than consumer-grade firewalls. SonicWall offers several models that are robust and cost effective.