PowerNews: January 2011
Posted in Audits, Company News, Q and A, Security, Services on January 14th, 2011 by Will – Be the first to comment
Innovation and Airline Food: 2010 in Review
By Robin Tatam, Director of Security Technologies
For the first PowerNews of 2011, I’d like to step back from our traditional format and share some personal reflections on my year at PowerTech, and on things to come in the New Year.
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PowerTech from the Inside
I’m happy to report that, in 2010, PowerTech and Help/Systems continued to focus on customers. We hosted meetings, where we shared glimpses of our future and listened to your feedback on development and other issues. In response to the sessions, we released a great database monitoring solution. Overall, our customers reiterated what we already knew: we aren’t perfect, but we can be proud of our solutions and service.
Product-wise, 2010 brought a major update to our popular Network Security solution, including exciting features like object-level rule support, and a stronger infrastructure design to support future enhancements. As I write, our team is putting the finishing touches on Compliance Monitor 3, and we’ll roll out further enhancements throughout 2011. I can’t wait to see your reaction to these upgrades.
On the training front, we launched several great online classes in 2010, with more options coming in 2011. Watch for a Compliance Monitor class to complement the existing Network Security and Authority Broker classes. For those with a tight budget, this is an inexpensive way to gain expert training.
Life on the Road
Readers of my blog know that my objectives last year often involved boarding passes and suitcases, as I traveled to cities including Seattle, Orlando, Dallas, and New York. For those keeping track, here are some of my 2010 travel statistics:
| Air miles | 41,684 |
| Cities | 16 |
| Continents | 2 |
| Nights spent in hotels | 56 |
| Nights spent in a lighthouse | 1 |
If the lighthouse didn’t throw you, consider the number of hours I spent with my 6’ 6” frame crammed inside a Boeing 767.
Longest flight: Minneapolis to London, 4,015 miles
Shortest flight: Minneapolis to Chicago, 355 miles
High-Water Marks
I do whatever it takes to reach my customers. Last year, I rode planes, trains, cars, taxis, shuttle buses, untold miles of moving walkway—even an airboat (I’m not kidding!).
I baked in the sun and froze in the snow, though I managed to evade the Metrodome’s collapsing roof.
On my way, I met great customers and took in fantastic sights. I memorialized many of them in landscape photographs that brighten my office and my blog. I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoy taking them.
Beautiful Las Vegas, Nevada.
A Steady Pulse
For now, I’m home again. I smile when I think back to one year ago, when our competitors were suggesting that PowerTech had no future. In reality, PowerTech’s heartbeat is stronger than ever, as our recent growth illustrates.
It was a great year, but the best is ahead.
Fire up the airboat.
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7 Habits of Highly Secure Companies: Part III
By Robin Tatam
Please enjoy the final entry in my 7 Habits series. Feel free to go back and review Part I and Part II.
Habit 5: Use Existing Technology
Security companies spend millions of dollars to develop and perfect their solutions, so take advantage of their efforts.
Alternatively, you could hire staff to develop and support your own technology, but auditors frown upon self-policing.
You could also spend hours manually reviewing log entries and events, but automated solutions can notify you of actions. And what about activities the operating system cannot see, such as downloading payroll files via FTP?
In these cases, and many others, commercial security technologies can be extremely helpful. However, you must be sure to deploy them properly, and, in the case of IBM i, leverage your operating system’s built-in security controls.
Habit 6: Monitor Ongoing Compliance
Security isn’t a destination; it’s a journey. But this doesn’t mean you should dawdle. If you manage to elude mandates or regulations, you still have corporate and ethical responsibilities to your clients, customers, and employees.
The easiest way to meet your obligations is to implement and maintain a robust security infrastructure. Ongoing compliance checks help you maintain your high security levels.
Your initial assessment helped shape your security policy and subsequent server configuration; compliance checks should verify that you are doing what your policy states. Find the causes of non-compliant items, and take steps to prevent them from recurring.
In addition to compliance checks, use security tools to stay abreast of important events. Don’t wait until the end of the month to discover you had a non-compliance situation three weeks earlier. A good security solution makes constant analysis less daunting.
The Powertech suite of products.
Habit 7: Plan for the Future
In the tech world, things are never the same tomorrow. Consider the technologies of ten years ago, and the ways in which we secured them.
Since then, we’ve experienced great technological innovation, challenges, and change. Your business must react to change to stay competitive, and do it while complying with changing standards, laws, and regulations.
Compliance requirements will evolve, but they won’t go away. For example, privacy laws that began in California quickly rolled into forty other states, and a federal law may follow. Always keep your eyes on the horizon.
Master the 7 Habits
By reviewing and mastering the seven habits I’ve presented to you over the past few months, you can become and remain secure, no matter what the future brings.
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Q & A with Paulie Culin
Dear Paulie,
I upgraded to Network Security version 6 and imported my security rules. How do I remove the old product libraries?
A: First, locate the old product library(s):
WRKOBJ OBJ(POWER*) OBJTYPE(*LIB)
Next, check for any object locks:
WRKOBJLCK OBJ(POWER5XX) OBJTYPE(*LIB)
If there are NO locks, you are OK to delete the old product libraries.
If there are locks, DO NOT DELETE THE OLD LIBRARY.
You may need to activate the new exit programs in Network Security 6. The activation process will recycle the server jobs, release the locks, and allow you to continue.
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