Posted by David Quiram on Tue, Nov 17, 2009
It is the end of the year and it is time to start reviewing the inventories in preparation for next year. Each year at this time I seem to be involved in a flurry of hard drive destruction as older models are removed from use. If the computer is to be given away I usually use NukeIt to remove the OS. But if the device is obsolete and being tossed out, I go ahead and destroy the hard drive. For years I have been taking the hard drives out to a field and smashing them into little pieces with an 8 pound sledge hammer. Not only is the risk of data leakage addressed with the hands-on destruction of the hard drive, but it is SOOOO much fun. As a
Trigon Engineer, I would like to point out that if anyone does try this, to wear the proper safety glasses and work gloves. Explaining to someone that you were injured by a hard drive that attacked you in self defense is kind of embarrassing.
This year I wondered if there were other methods to destroy the hard drives that were better. After some research I found some other options to ensure IT Security. Essentially, it comes down to three methods of rendering the drive unreadable:
Overwriting
Degaussing
Physical destruction
Overwriting is sanitizing the hard disk by overwriting with a software program which writes 1's and 0's over each location on the hard disk, multiple times. The goal is to mask the other data under multiple layers of data writes to make the data unreadable. When properly done it is successful. There is the possibility of someone who has too much time on their hands or is really motivated to get your data and is willing to spend a lot of money to read the data patterns with the use of magnetic electron microscopy. As of yet, there has been no report of someone successfully doing this.
So over writing is good to rendering data on the hard disk unreadable if you are not destroying the hard disk and will be reusing it. The draw backs are that it takes a long time to complete the data overwrites and it really isn't as much fun as smashing a drive with a big hammer!
Degaussing is using a really big magnetic field to scrabble and disrupt the magnetic media in the hard disk. This requires specialized equipment that generates fields several orders of magnitude stronger than the fields needed to degauss floppy disks and tapes (remember those?) The degaussing method not only will render the data unreadable, it will render the drive inoperable as it also destroys the hidden portions that are used for bad block recovery, drive head positioning, and other functions.
Degaussing is good for rendering the data as unreadable, but will also kill the drive. The draw backs are you need lots of expensive equipment, a lot of power, and again, not as satisfying as smashing it.
Physical destruction is the last option, and seemingly the most preferred. There are different methods of destroying the drive, but all their goals are the same. Depending on how much time you want to spend on this is going to select your choice of method.
The common way is to smash the drive to the point where the internal platters are all in pieces or a fine powder. Another method is to drill four holes through the drive to render the platters inoperable. I found this to be difficult unless you have a drill press. Some interesting methods I found in my research were taking the platters out and sanding them or grinding them so they are unreadable. While I can see how this would work, it is a bit more effort than most of us will take.
Some of the other and crazier methods I found were burning the drive with thermite, using hydrochloric acid to destroy the drive, and grinding the platters to dust. Now I can see how it might be fun to burn the drive with thermite and acid, but the risks seem to outweigh the rewards. Well, I guess it would be rewarding to watch the drive burn up with thermite though.
After all this I found myself returning to the 8 pound sledge hammer as my method of choice. It may not be flashy or exotic, but it is cheap and gets the job done.
For those who are concerned, Seagate released a technology paper on the disposal of hard drives titled "Drive Disposal Best Practices - Guidelines for removing sensitive data prior to drive disposal" which stated that for "drives that are defective, dead, or unable to complete an overwriting process complying with DoD522.22 or NIST 800-88 standards should be degaussed or physically destroyed...." So the destruction of the drives is even recommended by the makers of the drives. Of course, it is in their best interest as you are going to have to get a new hard drive......
Posted by Christopher Lyons on Wed, Nov 11, 2009
A few days ago, we posted a blog regarding
Philadelphia computer/network health, and referenced that computers cannot become infected with the H1N1 Virus. Our readers have encouraged us to look at this subject from a different perspective; computers are often shared and worked on by numerous people throughout offices, schools, and libraries. Therefore, while it is still true that computers cannot be affected by the virus, they can surely aid in spreading it.
Throughout any given day, people often have meetings and shake hands, cough, or sneeze and then go on to touch their computers. In order to get through the flu season, especially with H1N1 lingering around, it is important to not only wash your hands consistently, but also to keep your office supplies and computer clean and sanitary. Cleaning your desk and office supplies can be a relatively simple task; however, cleaning your computer can be more difficult. Here are some general tips on how to keep your computer clean, and also how you can keep it from becoming a germ spreading vehicle.
Technically, you should be cleaning your computer often - every 3 months or so, to be exact. However, many of us rarely clean our computers, or even worse, some of us don't clean them all together!
Before you start, make sure to turn off and unplug your computer. Once you have shutdown and unplugged, feel free to begin.
Start with the keyboard; they are usually the main culprits in spreading viruses, and are also touched more often than any other part of a computer. As with all parts of a computer, never spray or put any sort of liquid directly on to your keyboard. It is important that you mildly spray a cloth or rag, and then wipe. If you're just trying to wipe dust off your computer, water will do the trick. However, if you want to keep it sanitary during flu season, a mixture of rubbing alcohol and water will work. Once you've prepared the water/alcohol solution, gently wipe the keyboard down. You can do the same with the mouse. For cosmetic purposes, if you'd like to clean out the dust and buildup in the keyboard, compressed air is the way to go.
The same rules apply to your monitor. When cleaning a monitor, use a lint free cloth to avoid scratching it, and never spray a cleaning solution directly onto your monitor. The water/rubbing alcohol solution will work well for cleaning up a monitor, and it is important to never use any kind of glass cleaner or commercial cleaning product.
As for the computer itself, you can also gently wipe it down with a water/alcohol solution. Aside from cleaning the computer, for safety reasons you may also want to take a look at the ventilation locations. In order to clean the vents you can vacuum the dust and dirt, but it is important to use a battery powered vacuum so you don't create static electricity that will damage your computer. Try to keep up with this often, because dust and dirt that are blocking the vents can cause some real problems with your PC.
Follow these tips to keep your computer clean and to keep it sanitary throughout the flu season. Now that we've covered how to keep you healthy, if you have any questions regarding your computer's health, be sure to check out Trigon's Philadelphia IT Health Check .
Posted by Andrew Neumann on Thu, Oct 15, 2009
Windows 7 operating system? Check. High speed DSL connection? Check. Twitter account? Check. Facebook account? Check. Shovel, rake and a very, very tolerant attitude?? Whaaaaat?
I have always prided myself on being a person who is very tolerant of what others choose to believe in or how they occupy their spare time. I am all for getting the latest and the greatest, regardless of potential first generation ‘Bugs'. So it goes without saying, that in a world flooded by social media outlets like Facebook or Twitter, that I should shrug my shoulders and think nothing of an unusual application surfacing...until now. Consider this my official notification that I am drawing a line in the sand, getting on my soap box and speaking my mind (what little of it I have left) about an absolute abomination . . .drum roll please. . . FarmVille.
For those who may not be aware, and realizing that I am blogging, and my target audience is more than likely going to be in tune to the technical saviness of the world, Farmville is an application that allows users to grow their own farms by planting seeds, planting trees, buying farm animals, and harvesting crops. Awesome! Fun for the whole family! A complete and total waste of time. At the risk of sounding like someone stuck in a rut (no farming pun intended) I cannot see what the appeal of this application is. If it is the excitement of gardening you desire, here's an idea pick up a shovel and start digging. . in the actual dirt (you know that brown stuff) . . . cut loose the IT strings that bind you and get the heck outdoors! I assure you that you will feel better about yourself and the actual greenery you plant and harvest, more so than sowing row after row of blueberries amongst your palm trees and pink cows and then selling them off for a gaggle of geese and a few magic pumpkin seeds. Biting into a carrot that you harvested from your garden?? Priceless. Mindlessly planting, harvesting and selling off your crops on your 21" flat screen? You must be joking. Reaping the nutritious rewards from doing something that you may not have thought you were any good at will far outweigh the rewards of selling that chocolate milk that came from the brown cow in your virtual pasture.
Posted by Christopher Lyons on Fri, Sep 25, 2009
It‘s no secret that the economy is still floundering. It's also no secret that many businesses haven't been able to weather through these tough times. But if you're a small to midsized business owner, we'll let you in on a little secret: if you have an IT Department or if you pay an IT Service on break/fix basis, STOP!
Outsourcing IT will save you money and increase your efficiency!
Trigon Technology, located just outside of Philadelphia offers a complete range of IT Solutions and Services. If you live outside of the Philadelphia area, don't worry! There are plenty of quality IT Solutions Providers all over the country (none as good as we are, of course).
Whether you're located in our area, or anywhere in the United States, find out if your IT Service offers a Managed Services Program. A Managed Services Program, something Trigon particularly excels in, is proactive IT maintenance . If you're business is part of a managed service program, great! You are on the right track.
Anyway, with a proactive IT maintenance system, such as Trigon's PinnacleCare, your IT System will be proactively monitored. And although you'll have to pay a nominal fee each month, managed services will ultimately save you a lot of money, thousands actually, each year. Think of it this way, your IT Systems are essentially watched over and monitored on a nonstop basis, and any issues that may come up are taken care of before they can become a major problem. That way, you won't have to pay for the after-effects of problems and the restoration of a damaged IT System. So, if you're paying someone on a break/fix basis, do so no more.
If your organization already has an in-house IT Department, and you're not paying someone on a break/fix basis, a Managed Services Program is still the way to go. As much as you may like your IT Guy, face it, is paying another salary an efficient way to save money during this economic downturn? We can either work hand in hand with your current IT person, or if you so choose, we can replace his/her duties and guess what - we don't take vacations, sick days, or need you to pay for our health care. Essentially, outsourcing your IT care could cut your IT bill in half. Check out our PinnacleCare ROI Calculator to see how much money your organization could be saving!
Lastly, in terms of efficiency, just think of what you'll be able to with an IT System that has guaranteed uptime. With proactive monitoring, you're IT systems will always be working for you. Your people and organization as a whole will be able to stay effective and efficient on a consistent basis. That will not only help you drive profits, it'll be a sure sign of the ROI you're getting from your Managed Services Program.
So when looking for the right IT Solution for your organization, remember to look for a good Managed Services program.
Posted by Salvatore DeRose, Jr. on Mon, Sep 14, 2009
It was recently reported by the New York Times that YouTube is in negotiations with Lionsgate Entertainment, Sony, and Warner Brothers to allow YouTube to start hosting newer movies on their servers. Right now, YouTube hosts a collection of older movies, but they would like to expand this selection and make it more current. The new selections would be made available to viewers at or around their DVD release dates. Although previously opposed to this, YouTube would provide this service at a cost to the viewers.
In the past, YouTube has had trouble getting major advertisers to pay for space on their site, being that their content is not overly regulated or professional. By adding this new section to their site, they hope to attract more interest from larger organizations. This will be very similar to what NBC, Fox, and Disney did with Hulu. In a relatively short period of time, Hulu has already attracted many more big name sponsors then YouTube has, even though Hulu has a much smaller viewer base. However, instead of offering television shows for free with commercials, they will be offering online paid movie rentals.
Depending on how they structure their business model, YouTube could be offering something very similar to Netflix and Blockbuster. With their already enormous footprint on the internet and given their current computer network infrastructure, YouTube should be able to secure a large share of the online movie rental market. This could mean the end of Blockbuster or Netflix. Or it could force one of them to come up with the next generation process for renting movies.