An interesting article I read the other day mentioned that ex-employees pose a big risk to network security. I sat and thought about the topic for several minutes before it hit me. Our company uses RF ID cards to allow employees access to the premises. Now, could you integrate this solution with the company’s servers to only allow employees access whilst on duty? Another problem is that some employees have to have access to the company network whilst at home to accomplish several work-related tasks such as IT support. The problem remains that even these employees may be able to log onto the network after they are no longer employed by the company. The question now is, are there companies working on such security issues? Maybe somebody could start a company that develops such software.

Speaking of security, recently I installed a firewall and an anti-virus suite, something I haven’t used in years on my home pc. Then the other night, without warning, my firewall informed me that somebody was trying to send something to my PC. I had a look and found it to be one of these companies that uses adware to hijack browsers. I then fired up my port scanner and tried to get information on the site. WHOIS turned up nothing. I could not understand this. I realised that there was some human activity on the other side because, soon after, the whole thing disappeared from my firewall’s stats window. It seems that these days every Tom, Dick, and Harry is trying to steal information. What this person in particular found so interesting about my PC is anyone’s guess. Whoever you are, stay away! This is my stuff and my stuff alone! Remember the days when your only concern was getting a virus from a friend’s floppy disc? Strange how times have changed.

Another story that is making big news in South Africa these days is piracy. Sure, software is very expensive and Windows does cost a fortune, but why should we pay for software? A big movie icon in South Africa, and probably one of the funniest people to have ever lived, released a movie called “Mama Jack” in December. Ticket sales went through the roof up until a pirate copy of the film hit the black market. Ticket sales ever since have been few and far between. Now, the question begs to be asked, where did this pirate copy come from and how can we fight piracy? The problem with most copy-protection schemes is that it is just too easy to find a go-around route. Games get patched so that they do not require the original CD/DVD. DVD movies are even worse off as the protection mechanism is easier to circumvent than on PC executables. If companies want to keep making money, they will have to make less of it! By bringing down the resale price of software and DVD movies, companies will be able to sell more on a smaller profit margin. You would think that MDs and CEOs with university degrees would know simple economics but it seems that some of these people are in positions where they are utterly useless. Imagine being able to buy an original copy of Windows for only $10. In South Africa, a copy of Windows XP Professional currently sells for about R1500 (US$250). Over here it is a lot of money to spend on something like an operating system. Therefore, many are taking the Linux route. A major retailer replaced all Windows PCs with ones running Linux and it’s saving lots of money by not paying yearly licensing fees.

Humanity has come to the point in time where it has to ask itself, can everybody using a PC really afford to use the same operating system? Sure, it makes things easy, but it creates a monopoly that does not improve on itself. Why improve something when everybody is already using it? You don’t have to lure new users over; your OS is the only one on the market!

I’ve gotten some wonderful feedback on all the articles I’ve written and I’ve also been shown that everybody makes mistakes. Thanks to everybody who emails me regularly with some feedback - keep it coming!

[tags]windows,security,linux,copyright,piracy,business sense,profit margin,pirate[/tags]