I imagine that minutes after the first computer program was created the first support team was born. Over the years the association between support departments and fixing troubleshooting customer issues has become so strong that many (even some in support) believe this is the only responsibility of the support team. As a result support teams at many technology companies have scored poorly on customer satisfaction surveys. Why? Because they end up only interacting with customers when they are having a problem and are angry. Here are some ways support departments can

There has never been a better time to be a professional woman. Most organizations strive to treat men and women employees equally and fairly. Yet, in the technology industry there is still a slight prejudice towards women, making it difficult to foster strong relationships with partners. During my career as a channel manager and director I've encountered partners who were reluctant to create a professional relationship with a woman simply because they assume women are not as adept with technology as men. While this assumption is unfair, it is a reality all women in technology must deal with an overcome. Here are some tips for creating strong professional relationships with your organization's partners - no matter what your gender.

To hear the full PodCast interview with Jack Daniel, click here.

It started as a little idea, but it has grown into the Next Big Thing. About a year ago a few people received notices that their proposals for presentations at BlackHat had been declined and they expressed their disappointment on Twitter. After seeing some of the great talks that were turned down, someone suggested holding an alternate event that would give speakers an opportunity to give their talks and let people to hear them. A great deal of scrambling and a few short weeks later, Security BSides Las Vegas happened during the week of BlackHat and DefCon, and it was amazing.

A core group of people, assisted by a large group of volunteers, speakers and sponsors put together a two-day event which offered great presentations on a wide mix of topics, a fun environment, and encouraged conversation and participation.

More information can be found here: http://www.astaro.com/news-events/press-releases/astaro-red-simplifying-branch-office-security

I occasionally hear this argument against the use of web content filtering and it is great to hear- but things aren't that simple. Part of the reason managers and employers can trust their employees is that they have built a good working environment, where employees work together and get their jobs done with minimal supervision. As good as this scenario sounds there are other trust relationships which must be considered:

Cloud based email archiving solutions can offer many benefits, including scalable storage options, lower costs and secure data. In addition to these obvious benefits of hosted solutions, hosted archiving solutions can also have a positive impact on an organization's disaster recovery planning.

Keeping students focused in the classroom has always been a challenge. Students would find ways to occupy their mind when they did not wish to pay attention in class. In the past these distractions were unexciting (i.e. doodling or daydreaming) and did not last long. However, the prevalence of classroom computers and other devices which offer Internet access has made it even harder for educators to attract and keep their students' attentions. Trips to computer labs to conduct research, type papers or for other educational purposes often dissolve into game time or involve non-school related web-surfing. The popularity of social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook only add to student's temptations, making it harder for them to remain focused on their lesson or assignment when they have free access to these sites.

While complying with PCI standards does not necessarily mean an organization's network it adequately secured, compliance is still a challenge all companies that accept credit card information must meet. Understanding and then creating policies that ensure compliance can be difficult enough for an organization, but when you add the challenge of complying to these standards at all remote locations a new level of complexity arises.

"What time is it?" seems like a simple question. We take for granted that a glance at our watch, computer, phone, auto dashboard or a myriad of other places will give us a "close enough" answer. What if we REALLY need to know what time it is, with a high degree of accuracy? Most mobile phones get a signal from the carrier which is pretty good, and sometimes we can rely on our computers, but only "sometimes".

Social media sites such as Facebook, Linkedin and others have become parts of our everyday lives. People announce their engagements on Facebook and network without ever leaving the house. They play games and even discuss political arguments right on the 'wall' of their personal profile pages.