Latest Postings

November 4, 2008

What is Microsoft Forefront?

This is exactly the question that I asked Tom Shinder, a Microsoft MVP on the Forefront Security product. He spent some time and came up with this posting for us to help you understand Microsoft’s offering around Forefront.

What is Microsoft Forefront?

Have you heard friends or colleagues mention Microsoft Forefront and wonder what they were talking about? If so, you’re not alone, as Microsoft Forefront is relatively new and just beginning to get real traction in the network security market.

The first thing you need to know is that there is no “Forefront” product. Instead, Forefront is a collection of Microsoft security products. This collection of Forefront security products is referred to as the “Forefront Security Suite”

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September 17, 2008

Custom Training Options

Did you plan on how you would train your employees for an upcoming software migration/upgrade?

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August 5, 2008

DOD 8570 Requirements

DOD 8570 Requirements and Training

– The Department of Defense has put together a requirements list for anyone who works in Information Architecture (IA). You have to obtain at least one of the “approved certifications” to meet the minimum requirements for each category.

They have skills broken down into 6 certifications:

  • Technical Level 1
  • Technical Level 2
  • Technical Level 3
  • Management Level 1
  • Management Level 2
  • Management Level 3

Each of these levels requires you to have at a minimum one of the professional certifications listed below:

Technical Level 1

  • A+ – CompTIA A+
  • Network+ – CompTIA Network+
  • TICSA – TruSecure ICSA Certified Security Associate
  • SSCP – System Security Certified Practitioner

Technical Level 2

  • GSEC – GIAC Security Essentials Certification
  • Security+ – CompTIA Security+
  • SCNP – Security Certified Network Professional
  • SSCP – System Security Certified Practitioner

Technical Level 3

  • CISSP – Certified Information Systems Security Professional
  • SCNA – Security Certified Network Architect
  • GISO – GIAC Information Security Officer
  • GSE – GIAC Security Expert

Management Level 1

  • GSLC – GIAC Security Leadership Certificate
  • Security+ – CompTIA Security+
  • GISO – GIAC Information Security Officer
  • TISCP – TrueSecure ISCA Certified Security Professional

Management Level 2

  • CISSP – Certified Information Systems Security Professional
  • GSLC – GIAC Security Leadership Certificate
  • CISM – Certified Information Security Manager

Management Level 3

  • CISSP – Certified Information Systems Security Professional
  • GSLC – GIAC Security Leadership Certificate
  • CISM – Certified Information Security Manager

If you need to quickly get one of these certifications and you don’t see the class on our public schedule, please contact us. Also, we can provide on-site, customized training to help your group meet these requirements as well as online via our e-Learning training that utilizes Microsoft Lync to create a virtual classroom. Click here for additional information on our e-Learning training.

Please follow the link below for detailed DOD 8570 information:

DOD 8570 FAQ

The full DoD directive 8570 can be read or downloaded online.

April 19, 2008

Setup a complete PHP development environment in Windows

Eclipse is a fantastic IDE for PHP development.  The best part is that it is free!  It is a Java development environment that can be extended to edit Ruby, Perl, Python, PHP, C++ and many other obscure languages.

I went through a number of hurdles to get my development environment setup, but I came across this posting the other day that highlights all the necessary steps.  The article covers SVN, Eclipse, PHP and Mysql installation.

Setup PHP development in Windows

April 11, 2008

Configuring a split tunnel pptp vpn in Windows Vista

While working remotely I noticed my bandwidth would drop when I connected to our VPN. It appeared that all internet packets were being routed through our VPN connection. While this normally wouldn’t be a problem, I often found myself downloading large files and my connection performance was limited to the available bandwidth to the VPN connection. That’s when I learned about what a “split tunnel” vpn connection is. I wrote this article to walk you through the process of setting up your VPN to take advantage of this option in Windows Networking. More »

March 18, 2008

Introduction to SQL

Information is at the heart of all computer systems.  The storage, retrieval and manipulation of information is a core function of virtually all applications whether those applications reside on the desktop, a server, or the web.  Most modern applications make use of relational databases (RDBs) to deliver these functions and the computer language that is most often used to with RDBs is SQL (often pronounced as the English word “sequel”).  Because of the importance of information management and pervasiveness of RDBs in modern computing a passing familiarity with the SQL language can be a strong benefit to virtually anyone who works with computer technology. More »

February 22, 2008

Javascript Tools and Tricks

How many times have you banged your head against the keyboard trying to get a Javascript function to work, only to find out the problem was with your browser? There are a number of tools out there that will make your life easier. This is a list that has helped not only my hairline, but my sanity too! More »

February 4, 2008

Do you know what users are doing on your website?

Have you ever had a question from your boss wondering what are the users really finding important on our website?

It becomes even more important if your website sells products. What do you spend your limited marketing dollars on? Do you focus on one product or a suite of products? Do you know if your campaign is successful or not? More »

January 23, 2008

WordPress as a Content Management System (CMS)

As you may have noticed, ISInc.com has gone through a major face lift. For years we were leveraging a home grown website that served us well. But, over time, we found it difficult when users needed to add content to the site. At that point, we started looking at open source projects that might be able to suit our needs.

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