As with all machines, Mac or Intel based… whoops.. non-Mac Intel based, you should get what you need, not what’s “cool” at time. Think about what you want to do with machine, weather you’re going to want to upgrade in future and how much you want to spend. Just because it might be tempting to get dual processor 2.7Ghz PowerMac G5, doesn’t mean you need it.

Here’s deal, there are basically three processors you’re going to be dealing with; G3, G4 and G5. All of them will run versions of OSX up to 10.4.1, which is most current at time of this article.

A bit about processors:

In interest of compatibility I would recommend going with a G4 or G5 as G3 is getting aged. However, if you’re just using machine for email and browsing web, a G3 iMac is a good machine.

The G4 is a 32 bit processor and will allow you speeds up to 1.42Ghz – These machines are more than sufficient for average user. The G5 is a 64 bit processor and will allow you speeds up to 2.7Ghz – These are more for gamers, advanced to power users and developers. This may be overkill if you just want an internet machine, email, word processing, etc…

A little about machines:

Mini – Most inexpensive Entry level G4 based machine. Very small and compact and does not come with a keyboard or mouse.

eMac – Most inexpensive All-in-one entry level. This resembles G3 style iMacs. They resemble a CRT monitor, but contain display and machine ‘All-in-One’.

THE DYNAMIC PROCESS OF NETWORK SECURITY by Vlad Sharoiko

Network security is a dynamic process because of new threats and vulnerabilities that are uncovered every day. Your software may be secure today, but intense pace of upgrades will continue to create openings for new issues to arise. According to statistics released by CERT Coordination Center, more than 300 vulnerabilities are reported every month. The process of discovering them, determining potential security risk, and recommending fixes is called a Vulnerability Assessment.

A Network Vulnerability Assessment can:

Identify any potential security breaches a hacker could exploit

Analyze discovered vulnerabilities existing in network

Provide a detailed explanation of recommended fix for each threat

Despite fact that most security measures are put in place to protect a network from malicious outside world, many intrusion attempts are now happening from inside organization. With proliferation of laptops and handhelds, possibility of an internal intrusion has greatly increased. For this reason, a complete assessment should be done with scanners located inside and outside network to determine if potential issues exist in either place.

In addition, reports generated should be structured for 2 levels of review. The Executive Report should represent a high level overview of number of vulnerabilities detected, while IT Department should receive a highly detailed report containing descriptions of each vulnerability and explanations of fixes recommended for each one.

The key features of a Vulnerability Assessment are:

Automated scanning of internal and external network devices Scan schedules customized to times of least activity on network Full SSL support to scan SSLized services such as https, smtps, & imaps  Smart service recognition to detect services moved to non-standard ports Non-destructive scanning to avoid interruption of normal network activity Complete reporting designed for 2 levels of review