Q: "What will your Outsoucing Solutions do for my Company?"
Answer :
Better
utilize internal resources by focusing on core competencies
Increase responsiveness to customer needs
Decrease financial risks by reducing capital investments
Reduce support costs
Q: "What is a Virtual Private Network?"
Answer :
In common usage a Virtual Private Network is a group of two or more computer systems, typically connected to a private network (a network built and maintained by an organization solely for its own use) with limited public-network access, that communicates "securely" over a public network. VPNs may exist between an individual machine and a private network (client-to-server) or a remote LAN and a private network (server-to-server). Security features differ from product to product, but most security experts agree that VPNs include encryption, strong authentication of remote users or hosts, and mechanisms for hiding or masking information about the private network topology from potential attackers on the public network.
Q: "How do I decide if a VPN is right for my Company?"
Answer :
To determine
whether or not a VPN is a good answer to your company's needs for remote
connectivity, consider your specific technical requirements, along with the
pros and cons of
VPN use.
Some advantages to using VPNs include:
The
ability to securely connect high speed remote users over broadband technology,
like
Cable Modems and DSL lines. Which before VPNs had not been possible.
No administrative headache for managing direct access telephone lines, T1 or PRI lines used for data, or for the RAS equipment (modems or other network access servers) terminating the phone calls potential cost savings, especially if many of your remote users are located outside your local calling area.
Some disadvantages include:
Inconsistent
remote access performance due to changes in Internet connectivity. (To counteract
this, you can have your users choose Service Providers that have higher levels
of service, perhaps the same ISP from which you purchase your corporate Internet
connection to keep traffic inside the same backbone.)
No
entrance in to the network if the Internet connection is broken (Some administrators
choose to leave a limited amount of dial-in access for emergency access)
Q: What is a network firewall?
Answer :
A firewall is a system or group of systems that enforces
an access control policy between
two networks. The actual means by which this is accomplished varies widely,
but in principle,
the firewall can be thought of as a pair of mechanisms: one which exists to
block traffic, and
the other which exists to permit traffic. Some firewalls place a greater emphasis
on blocking
traffic, while others emphasize permitting traffic.
Probably the most important thing to recognize about a firewall is that it implements an access control policy. If you don't have a good idea of what kind of access you want to allow or to deny, a firewall really won't help you. It's also important to recognize that the firewall's configuration, because it is a mechanism for enforcing policy, imposes its policy on everything behind it. Administrators for firewalls managing the connectivity for a large number of hosts therefore have a heavy responsibility.
Q: Why would I want a firewall?
Answer :
The Internet, like
any other society, is plagued with the kind of jerks who enjoy the electronic
equivalent of writing on other people's walls with spraypaint, tearing their
mailboxes off, or
just sitting in the street blowing their car horns. Some people try to get
real work done over
the Internet, and others have sensitive or proprietary data they must protect.
Usually, a
firewall's purpose is to keep the jerks out of your network while still letting
you get your job
done.
Many traditional-style corporations and data centers
have computing security policies
and practices that must be adhered to. In a case where a company's policies
dictate how
data must be protected, a firewall is very important, since it is the embodiment
of the
corporate policy. It's not justifying the expense or effort, but convincing
management that it's
safe to do so. A firewall provides not only real security--it often plays
an important role
as a security blanket for management.
Q: What can a firewall protect against?
Answer :
Some firewalls
permit only email traffic through them, thereby protecting the network against
any attacks other than attacks against the email service. Other firewalls
provide less strict
protections, and block services that are known to be problems.
Generally, firewalls are configured to protect against unauthenticated interactive
logins from
the ``outside'' world. This, more than anything, helps prevent vandals from
logging into
machines on your network. More elaborate firewalls block traffic from the
outside to the
inside, but permit users on the inside to communicate freely with the outside.
Firewalls
are also important since they can provide a single ``choke point'' where security
and audit can be imposed. A firewall can act as an effective ``phone tap''
and tracing tool. Firewalls provide an important logging and auditing function;
often they provide summaries to the administrator about what kinds and amount
of traffic passed through it, how many attempts there were to break into it,
etc.
This
is an important point: providing
this "choke point'' can serve the same purpose on
your network as a guarded gate can for your site's physical premises. That
means anytime
you have a change in ``zones'' or levels of sensitivity, such a checkpoint
is appropriate.
A company rarely has only an outside gate and no receptionist or security
staff to check
badges on the way in. If there are layers of security on your site, it's reasonable
to expect
layers of security on your network.
Q: "What is WebHosting?"
Answer :
Webhosting means
that you can place your web site on our state-of-the-art NT and
Unix web servers and establish a presence on the Internet with a web site
you
design and administer. Axiom is available for design services if needed and
primarily
webhosting means you "rent" server space on Axiom's high speed Internet
connection.
If you wish, Axiom will register your own domain name for you. This will become
your
unique address on the World Wide Web (www.yourdomainname.com).