SYSTEMS UPDATE Vol. 24 No. 2 MAR/APR 2005 issue
MITA (P) NO. 034/10/2004  ROC NO : 198102708D      

1. VIRUSES & HOAXES

2. ORTEX-RM FILE MODULE

3. SAFENET SEMINAR IN SINGAPORE

4. SINGLE SIGN-ON

5. SYSTEMS DESIGN UPGRADES PC

6. 3COM PERSPECTIVE 2005

7. SOPHOS ENTERPRISE SOLUTIONS

  Subscribe or unsubscribe to Systems Update Newsletter

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1. VIRUSES & HOAXES

Top ten viruses reported to Sophos in March 2005

Position	Last month	Virus	Percentage of reports
1	1	W32/Zafi-D	45.1%
2	2	W32/Netsky-P	21.0%
3	3	W32/Zafi-B	5.9%
4	7	W32/Sober-K	5.8%
5	5	W32/Netsky-D	4.3%
6	6	W32/Netsky-Z	2.7%
7	9	W32/Netsky-B	2.3%
8	10	W32/MyDoom-O	1.3%
9	Re-entry	W32/Netsky-C	1.1%
10	Re-entry	W32/Netsky-Q	1.0%
Others			9.5%

The top ten hoaxes reported to Sophos during March 2005 are as follows:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

2. ORTEX FILE MODULE

The ORTEX-RM Files Module provides records management strategy for more efficient management of information within an organization. Designed to suit the working methods of modern organizations, ORTEX-RM Files Module, indexes, catalogues, distributes and disposes of record information. The Files Module offers fast and efficient search and retrieval capabilities, an extensive reporting system and includes bar coding technology to enhance tracking and audit tasks.

See : http://www.sysdgn.com.sg/newsletter/0405/ortex.html

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

3. SAFENET SEMINAR IN SINGAPORE

SafeNet which not too long ago acquired Rainbow held its regional seminar in Singapore at Changi Village Hotel from 6 April – 8 April. The focus was on Enterprise products. Mr Humphrey Chan the VP in Asia Pacific indicated that SafeNet which did US$200 million in 2004, hopes to be US$1 billion in 3-5 years time. The company has all the pieces to make it big in the security business. About 40 personnel came from all over Asia Pacific to attend the seminar. A number of case studies were presented including cases from Australia, India, Malaysia and Indonesia.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

4. SINGLE SIGN-ON

The login ID is invalid..."
"You have entered an incorrect password..."

We have probably encountered these familiar messages when we try to access applications that require logon credentials, such as Internet-Banking or logging in to the corporate network.

As the number of applications each user must access increases, it becomes a nightmarish experience as users will have difficulty remembering all the credentials, especially when difficult-to-remember strong passwords are enforced in the company. In fact, a significant portion of helpdesk's resources are consumed in managing and resetting forgotten passwords. To make matters worse, security is compromised when users chose insecure workarounds such as password sharing, sticking Post-It's containing passwords on the monitor, or use simple static passwords that can be easily guessed.

Enter SafeNet AXIS. This is a strong authentication and Single Sign-On solution designed to resolve the above problem, thereby enhancing user convenience and productivity. Using Rapid Deploy Technology, SafeNet AXIS offers critical advantages such as smooth integration, fast deployment, easy management, strong access security and high ROI. This powerful tool stores all passwords and credentials on a smart card or token. All the user needs to remember is just one PIN that unlocks the consolidated credentials on the smart card/token to automate sign-on to corporate resources without additional actions by the user.
 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

5. SYSTEMS DESIGN UPGRADES PC

The last time Systems Design staff had PCs was way back in 1997/1998. They were all Win 95 and most are just 32MB or 64MB. Now with many customers on XP, it is time to do a major upgrade.

Staff will be provided with Pentium 4 with 512MB and 17” TFT screens. For those users that still need to run Win 95/98 software, virtual PC software will be used. All PCs will be loaded with Open Office (version 6). A number of customers have moved to using this instead of Microsoft Office. Feedback is that this is quite compatible. Only hear that serious macros users of Microsoft Office found differences.

As for remote login into customer site for support purpose, the current mode of point to point dial in will be retained. The alternative of going through the Internet may have security issues for some companies. In the near future, a server running SQL 2005 will be needed as there are considerable differences between SQL 2000 and SQL 2005.
 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

6. 3COM PERSPECTIVE 2005

On 22 March 2005, 3Com held a Perspective Seminar for partners at the Fullerton Hotel. Attended by about 80 delegates, speakers from 3Com took turns to highlight the changing business environment and the proven, broad portfolio of 3Com solutions to meet new demands such as high availability, better access control, and secure converged networks. Of special interest is 3Com's recent acquisition of TippingPoint, a leading provider of Intrusion Prevention Systems (IPS). With IPS, network administrators will be able protect their network critical infrastructure (e.g. routers, switches, DNS) from targeted attacks, vulnerabilities, exploits and rogue applications.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

7. SOPHOS ENTERPRISE SOLUTIONS

Sophos will be holding a seminar on 5 May Thursday, 1.30pm – 5.00pm at Singapore Marriott Hotel. The Enterprise Solutions seminar is a new generation of tools to fight viruses, spyware and spam. At this event, secure content management experts, Frost & Sullivan will explain how IT security threats are increasing in volume and complexity as organizations enhance new IT frontiers to stay ahead of competitors. In addition, Sophos experts will demonstrate the new management console that provides centralized administration and reporting functionality.

For reservation, please call or fax Corrine Yeo at 6224 4168 (T) or 6224 0191 (F). Otherwise, email eventsasia@sophos.com .

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

a)  SUBSCRIBE

Do yourself or your friend a favour and subscribe them to Systems Update!  It tells you more about the activities of Systems Design - be it technical news update, trends, new customers, success stories etc.  Sign up today!

See http://www.sysdgn.com.sg/newsletter/sub.html

b)  UNSUBSCRIBE

To discontinue or re-direct this newsletter, please click on

http://www.sysdgn.com.sg/newsletter/unsub.html

c)  QUERIES/ COMMENTS

Want to see something new in the newsletter?  Or just dying to get something off your chest?  Write to Systems Design at newsletter@sysdgn.com.sg