Issue: Is Google Too Good?

Imagine the most powerful and popular search engine in the world turning, a la Darth Vader, to the dark side. That is exactly what can happen when Google becomes a tool in a hacker's hands.

Robert McMillan, in a September 2005 Network World article, reports that Google hacking has turned up both "passwords [and] credit card numbers" as well as "unsecured Web interfaces to things like PBXs, routers and Web sites."

Google's accommodating features can also be used by the "good guys"— penetration testers whose job it is to let companies know where security vulnerabilities lie. One such tester is Johnny Long, a "white hat" hacker whose work has exposed Google's weaknesses. The danger, of course, is that malicious hackers can also make use of Google's power and eagerness to please. The extent to which Google is responding to the situation isn't entirely clear, although the company reports that it is at work "in this area."

Google's potential as sheep's clothing for wolves emphasizes the degree to which security must be on all computer users' minds. The good news is that solutions do exist. Firewalls can render systems impenetrable and secure data which, in turn, protects people. Is your security up to date? When was the last time you discussed network vulnerabilities? The idea that you can't be too careful may not be especially original, but it is too pertinent to be ignored.

Announcement: Endsight’s CEO named one of the Eastbay’s 40 under 40:

Congratulations to Mike Chaput, CEO of Endsight, for being named one of the East Bay Business Times’ 40 Under 40!  Every year the East Bay Business Times, www.bizjournals.com/eastbay, honors 40 local business leaders under the age of 40 by listing them in a special issue.  In addition to success in business, honorees contribute their time and energy to causes and organizations that make their communities better places to live and work.

Mike’s picture and profile appeared in the July 28^th issue of the East Bay Business Times.  The excerpt is as follows:

Training/degrees: B.S in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Michigan State University

>Proudest accomplishment: I am a member of an organization called TPG.  TPG is a group of companies that do exactly what Endsight does in non-competing geographies such as Chicago, Philadelphia, Miami, etc.  We meet three times a year for two full days to discuss all aspects of our business.  The meetings are professionally facilitated and we openly share our financials and business best practices to elevate all of our performance.

The group has changed my business in profound ways.  As a young entrepreneur, the other members of the group have significantly more experience than I.  Upon joining TPG, I instantly had 13 mentors who freely shared their significant experience, ideas, and wisdom.  Leveraging the groups’ collective intelligence (and the extremely hard work from the Endsight team), we’ve had some very successful years.

One of the proudest moments I can think of is when three companies from my TPG group flew their top executive team out to do onsite visit with Endsight.  They wanted to learn our operational processes and about how we do sales and marketing.  My mentors were using Endsight as a model of how to re-shape their companies, based on our performance.

Office Tip: Microsoft Outlook Tip:  Organize Your Contacts

Microsoft Outlook® helps you organize your contacts into functional groups. With organized contacts, you can easily send e-mail messages to groups of people or schedule meetings with groups. Organized contacts also make it simple to share contacts with coworkers and to use contact information in other programs

Click here to take a free course that will show you how to:

§          Organize your contacts into groups using views, categories, and folders. Use these methods to find categories of contacts, such as personal or business.

§          Send messages or schedule meetings for groups of contacts.

§          Use folders to organize contacts that you want to keep private.

§          Export contact data.

Success: Case Study, Real estate lawyers count on Endsight, HP & Microsoft for technology solution.

Endsight’s latest case study with Berding & Weil, HP & Microsoft is now available for download.  In summary, Berding & Weil's IT staff sought reliable, high-performance technology to enable its lawyers to be more productive.  The law firm turned to Endsight for a managed solution built on HP workstations, servers & printers and Microsoft server applications and OS.

The two-page case study is available by clicking here.