Whether you have a small, medium, or large business, or even if you are a home user who wants to have a home network, there are some basic concepts you should be familiar with. Starting with this overview, we will be expounding on what makes up an "ideal" network and what you need to be aware of when setting up or using a computer network.

Having a basic understanding of what a network is will help you pinpoint minor problems and better know when you need to call for technical support. Most people just take for granted that things will work when they click on them. For instance, if you click on Internet Explorer, you expect the internet to "just appear". Ideally, it will. However, there is actually a lot going on in the background that you don't see or think about. Over the next few months we will be presenting a series of articles to help you understand the anatomy of a network better and give you some pointers for making your computer experience as safe and pleasant as possible.

Internet Access: Securing It and Sharing It. When you subscribe to high speed Internet at home or your office, you should always have a router and/or firewall connected directly to the ISP (Internet Service Provider) modem. While ISPs usually have some level of protection on the modems, an extra device between the Internet and your computer or network offers another level of often needed security. There are software firewalls available as well, however typically the most secure types are hardware based.

Depending on your configuration, you may also have a spam filtering device, such as a Barracuda, located between the internet and your server. Again, spam filtering solutions can be software based, or they may be provided by your ISP or an outside service. With statistics reporting that approximately 90% of all e-mail traffic on the Internet is spam, having a filtering solution in place is becoming increasingly critical, to reduce both the traffic to your network and your aggravation as a mail recipient. There are many spam filtering solutions available and we will discuss them in greater detail in our May newsletter.

The next device in the network food chain is the switch. A switch allows you to connect multiple computers to your server, your internet connection, and other network resources, such as printers, thus sharing the network resources amongst multiple users. Switches are available in 100MB speeds, which has long been the standard, or the newer Gigabit speed, which is 1000MB/second.

The diagram attached is a simplistic interpretation of how workstations connect to the central network resources.

CallRec 4.0 We recently found this interesting application for the Treo and thought we would pass it along to our readers. Created by the minds at Qmobilsoft, this neat little Palm application allows you to turn your Treo into a digital recorder.

This fun little program allows you to record your phone conversations too. No more forgetting the grocery list, or an important conversation with your client or boss. Have a brilliant idea while driving and need to make a note? You can do that too.

When recording phone conversations, both sides are recorded without needing to turn on the speakerphone function. The files are stored on an external memory card and are only limited by the free space on the card. With prices coming down for larger memory cards these days, it's easy to have plenty of time for recordings and have a backup card to switch to if you run low. When you are done, you can send the files via e-mail, Bluetooth, or HotSync.

WORLDOX and Keneisys Corp have announced a strategic partnership integrating the industry leading WORLDOX document management product suite with Keneisys' unique VSB Technology - offering File Level Security.

The partnership will offer existing and new WORLDOX customers the ability to seamlessly secure (encrypt, virus scan, grant access-level permissions, and track) and manage any WORLDOX document from within the document management system. This integration allows law firms to easily secure and manage their confidential documents without the addition of large overhead.

Keneisys integration with WORLDOX increases the level of security, accountability, mobility, and integrity as it relates to internal, as well as confidential client information. Now attorneys and other users have the freedom to email confidential documents to their clients and securely work on sensitive documents at home, on a plane, or in a remote office. Clients will now have the confidence that their law firm has a data security SOP in a place that guarantees confidentiality, integrity and accountability with their most trusted information.

HOW IT WORKS. A file that is extracted from, or stored within, the WORLDOX system can be seamlessly secured within a Virtual StrongBox, a secure container, including a dynamic access permission matrix and internal, self-contained audit log. Each WORLDOX file that is VSB Secured will be digitally signed and encrypted allowing for confidentiality and integrity - wherever that file is stored and/or transmitted.

Without VSB Technology, once a file leaves the secure environment of a law firm or business, it immediately becomes vulnerable since the protections it had within its environment (application) no longer apply. With VSB Technology, the security and management policies remain with the file - regardless of where it is stored, transmitted or taken.

VSB Secured is a "must have" for any client wanting true Autonomous File-Level Security - both in transmission and in storage for sensitive and/or confidential files.