Password resets are more or less the bane of the help desk agent's existence. Carrying that through logically, they also represent a significant expense for the organization to pay for the lost productivity of the employees and the time and effort of the help desk agent to get the issue resolved. So, many organizations seek single sign-on (SSO) solutions to minimize the number of usernames and passwords that users have to keep track of and hopefully reduce the amount of help desk calls. This

Windows 7 marches on and is projected to be on retail shelves this October. Microsoft is providing free upgrades from Windows Vista to Windows 7 for consumers and businesses who purchase computer systems right now (albeit with some limitations ). Microsoft has put together some animated video presentations to illustrate some of the new features and functions of Windows 7. You can view the Windows 7 videos on the Tour Windows 7 site. Follow me on Twitter

I recently wrote an article for TechTarget's SearchMidmarketSecurity site. The new Mimarket Security Strategies and Tactics site focuses on practical knowledge and advice for SMB organizations. The article covers the basics of BitLocker- the scope of what it can protect and how it works. It also explains how BitLocker works with TPM (Trusted Platform Module) chips to provide even better protection of data and how to work with BitLocker keys to ensure that you don't lock yourself out of your

This article that I wrote for the Midmarket Security Strategies and Tactics site at TechTarget focuses on the file access control possibilities of Windows Rights Management Services. Traditional NTFS file and folder permissions are effective for preventing unauthorized users from accessing data, but provide no control over what authorized users can do with the data once they access it. With Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server 2008 you can enable Windows Rights Managements Services (RMS) and be

Recent surveys suggest that businesses are ready to embrace and deploy Windows 7 en masse as soon as Redmond makes it available. Traditionally, businesses are slow to adopt new operating systems. Its like waiting for the second model year of a new automobile make. You want some other sucker to take care of the extended Beta testing affectionately known as the initial release. That philosophy has led many organizations to hang on to Windows XP and forego Windows Vista entirely. Some organizations

Do you live in Washington state? Are you one of the millions of Americans currently unemployed and desperately seeking a new career? Finding a new career is never easy, but given the state of the economy and the fact that it seems like for every new job opening there are three new layoffs, it is even more important to have skills that employers need and to set yourself apart from the crowd. Microsoft feels your pain and they want to do their part to help out. Microsoft announced that they will be

Many organizations have branch and remote offices. They might be across town, across the country, or around the world. A common problem facing organizations like this is having all of the various sites share information and work with data. Each site can't maintain their own files, spreadsheets, databases or other files. That would be too cumbersome to correlate and try to ensure that everyone is on the same page. The solution for that is to house the data in a centralized data repository at the

Windows 7 will be here before you know it. So far, Windows 7 is getting much attention and rave reviews in its Beta version. The improvements from Windows Vista to Windows 7 are exciting and the new features like DirectAccess and JumpLists have many enterprises and users chomping at the bit. Well, you don't need to sit by idly waiting. In fact, I recommend that you don't. Even if the operating system was available tomorrow there is a lot of planning and preparation that has to be done before

Are you an IT Pro? Have you installed the Beta of Windows 7 and started to work with and begin to understand it so you can be prepared to support it in your organization or with your customers? If so, Microsoft is looking for your feedback. Click on the link below to go to the survey and provide your input to Microsoft regarding your Windows 7 experience and the kinds of support and resources they should create to help you do your job and to help you help your customers adopt and implement Windows

At the CanSecWest Security Conference in Vancouver this week, Charlie Miller made headlines by exploiting a Safari vulnerability on a fully patched Mac OS X system with a fully patched Safari web browser in mere seconds to claim the Pwn2Own prize. Ryan Naraine interviewed Charlie Miller for a ZDNet article and asked him why he exploited Safari- why not exploit Internet Explorer or Firefox. His answer? "It’s really simple. Safari on the Mac is easier to exploit. The things that Windows