Location:

Last week I went to Sonic for a diet coke.  While waiting for my order to be delivered, I fired-up my Dell Mini 10 Netbook to check my email.  I found a wireless network called: “You Really Need to Secure Your Net“. I will admit, that it made me chuckle a little. Apparently someone (a hacker) connected to this wireless hot spot and gain access to the wireless router using the default username and password. To be humorous they changed the name of the wireless network to prove a point.

Point Taken
I did a little bit of investigating and found that it was a standard Linksys wireless router with the default username and password.  That’s how they(the hacker) got in, but something as simple as changing the password would have stopped them from making changes to the wireless network. I also could see how many computers and iphones that were connected just by having the same type of access. I know if I could see this, so could the hacker.

Hacker?
Now, let’s get something straight. Whoever did this is not really worthy of the title “hacker“. Young people are growing up around more and more technology. Configuring something like a wireless router is typically easy for them, but doesn’t merit them the title of hacker.

Things To Consider When Offering Free Wifi?

• Is the wireless router/access point secured? (See above article)
• Once connected to the free wifi, do customers have access to your files? (Very Important)
• Can customers use as much bandwidth as possible? (Hogging the entire network for themselves…)
• Can customers use the free wifi to download illegal content? If so are you responsible when the lawyers starting sending out notices?

If you cannot answer these questions you might need to give me a call.   Wireless security audits can take as little as 30 minutes to complete. You’ll sleep better at night knowing that the free wifi  service you offer won’t compromise your data or your company.

From The Sonic Drive-In With Love,

Jacob Burch
Redmagnet, Inc.
Director of Information Technology
662-840-2992

My poll question is not about religious or moral aspects, but about the economic impact it will have on Tupelo.

All comments are welcome.

The wrong direction

When people lose their jobs in the furniture factories, they automatically turn to education.  ICC then produces a “computer programmer” that is trained to program machines in furniture factories. It is an endless cycle. People look for job security by obtaining an education, but ICC steers them in the wrong direction by placing them in the market that was failing them to begin with.

Demand is low

The problem with being a COBOL and mainframe programmer is that you only need one or two people per company.  A staff of 10 programmers is not usually needed. It is usually the larger manufacturers that need an on-site programmer to fix their machines. The job market for these types of programmers is very small since Mississippi is losing manufacturers due to overseas competitors and a weak economy.

Life-Timers

Most of the manufacturers keep their programmers until the programmers retire. So, there is no chance for fresh blood to acquire a job in that position. Most furniture makers – that are surviving – are not going to hire a programmer that they need to train when they already have someone that has been there 10 years and isn’t planning on leaving anytime soon.

Making the switch

ICC needs to start producing application programmers. What are application programmers? They are programmers who write custom applications that can do things like “Quickbooks.” If you need a way of tracking employees’ vacation hours, you could have an application programmer whip up a custom app that could save you time and money. These types of programmers need to be skilled in RAD (Rapid Application Development), taking full advantage of the .NET languages. RAD programs can be produced quickly and cost effective using C# and VB.NET and other Microsoft application languages.

ICC also needs to offer a web programming degree. I’m talking about php, mysql, and python, just to name a few languages. Web is a huge part of our everyday lives, but our local community college seems to have missed that idea train.

Ideas to think about

Why does ICC keep directing these people back into the failing industry from which they came?  In order for Mississippi to get a leg up in the technology industry we, as Mississippians, have to produce more highly-qualified programmers in new fields other than manufacturing. Are we not sick of being last in everything? Are we not sick of being first in everything negative? Why not take technology and run with it? You can produce highly-qualified graduates that are sure to land a job as soon as they graduate. Mississippi could have a reputation for producing the best programmers, but are we so stuck in our ways that we can’t hear anything but the words furniture market?

I’ve noticed in the last couple of weeks or so, that the power grids in Tupelo, MS have been playing havoc on computer systems and network equipment. My advice to all the small business owners, get a battery backup.

In the field

Yesterday, I went out to a real estate business, and 3 machines were down on the network. I looked for the cable runs and found the switch and of course it wasn’t on. The old surge protector outlets were damaged during a thunder storm. Network equipment needs to have battery backups as well.

The solution

Don’t be a computer goob.  Get yourself a UPS (Uninterrupted power supply a.k.a. battery backup). It’s better to spend hundred dollars now, than wait and spend the money for a technician to play Sherlock Holmes with the addition of your company being down until the problem is fixed.

The math

• company downtime (2+ hours)  + computer technician(1 hour) + new equipment due to electrical damage = $$$

• battery backup for computer + company down time to install a ups (10 minutes)  = $

My suggestion for workstations:
APC BR500 UPS This is around 120 bucks, but you can also use it for entry level servers.

for Servers:
APC BR1500LCD BACK-UPS RS This will run you about 200 bucks, but you server is the life force of your business.

sorry for the typos   – Jacob

update:

I noticed on the bancorp south arena sign that google blurred out the close ups. I was trying to see what time and date these photos were taken. I did notice that the Tupelo Travel Center and the Hilton had just started construction in these pictures.