Simplifying IT With Network Inventory – Finding the Right Software Inventory Software

Posted on March 31, 2023 by schatzi

What every IT pro should know about network inventory So you’ve been tasked with setting up a network inventory to better manage your network. If you’re not a seasoned network admin or IT pro, this can be quite a daunting task. A quick search for “network inventory” leads you to many applications that will help you get an accurate inventory – some are free, some are expensive. So how can you tell what will work best for you?

What exactly is a “network inventory”? Simply put, a network inventory is a list of devices such as computers, routers, servers, and printers which are connected to your network. The amount of detail you collect on these assets will depend on what you’re using to collect the inventory and whether the collector has administrator access.

At the simplest level, a network inventory is a basic list of devices. However, as it gets more involved, it can evolve to contain detailed information about software installed, hotfixes applied, Windows events, serial numbers, and much more.

How can software inventory software help me manage network assets? If you’re in the IT space, it’s important to have an accurate network inventory. For instance, keeping track of what software is connected to your network can save you time, money, and bandwidth. A quality software inventory software will let you keep track of software licenses to make sure you’re in compliance. Knowing who has what licenses can help with loss prevention.

Convenience plays a role as well: it can be annoying when an employee tells you he has a problem with software but doesn’t provide any information. With a good network inventory in place, you can look and see what pesky software he installed and quickly address the issue.

So, how is a network inventory collected? There are two primary ways that network inventory collectors work: by scanning devices via scanning agent or via an agentless scanner.

Scanning agents need to be deployed on each computer on your network. When in place, these agents scan the computer and report back to a central database with the information they’ve gathered.

On the plus side, scanning agents don’t have to connect to a device to scan it, so you don’t have to worry about firewalls and antivirus programs blocking the connection. All you need to do is make sure it’s set at the correct admin level and can connect to the central installation.

On the down side, you’ll have to install the agent on every computer in your network, and update them all when new versions are released.

Agentless scanners don’t require anything to be installed on each device in your network as all the devices are scanned from a central installation. If your network is set up correctly and maintained properly, using an agentless scanner can be much easier.

Can a network inventory include multiple networks? If your company manages networks at multiple sites, you’ll need to make sure you’re able to get a reliable inventory snapshot for each site. This can be done in a variety of ways including using a simple agentless scanner over a VPN connection, or using remote scanners that will report back to a central installation. Scanning over a VPN can slow down your network traffic significantly, so if you like to run a scan during business hours, be sure to use a remote scanning solution.

Posted in Software | Tagged | Comments Off on Simplifying IT With Network Inventory – Finding the Right Software Inventory Software

Why You Should Create a Social Media Comment Tree

Posted on March 30, 2023 by schatzi

Have you thought about the tone or voice you create when you interact with social media? As a business leader, using social media can be ineffective if you aren’t also guarding your reputation and brand closely. Part of that brand is your voice, the things you stand for and the way in which you interact with others. If you happen to be a solopreneur, creating a brand voice isn’t as difficult, but how do you remove emotion or frustration from your online interactions? Consistency is critical to your business’s brand and identity!

One solution is to create a comment tree. A comment tree can become the model for both solopreneurs or complex organizations. It creates a system of how and when you will respond to online posts by others. And, it allows you to guard your uniformity – even to the point that others on your staff or team can follow the pattern and respond in the voice of the organization, not as themselves. This is a big piece of a growing presence in social media circles for businesses.

To create a comment tree, first you must identify the types of comments you will respond to. On Facebook, for instance, is it a “Like” only? Those may or may not need a comment. Was a question asked? If so, it’s always better for the brand or business to respond. How do you handle retweets on Twitter? Do you acknowledge them? Under what circumstances would you ignore them? These are just examples, and there will always be unique situations for your company, but begin by trying to develop a pattern of “types” of comments you wish to respond to, and organize them into a flow chart.

Once you’ve decided what types of comments you will respond to, you need to look at the types of responses you wish to give. How you handle a question from a Fan or Follower may be different than when a Fan or Follower shares something inappropriate or inaccurate with you. As best as you can, categorize typical response types into general patterns so you can create comment and interaction “rules.”

In this way, you will be able to protect and grow the image and brand you are working hard to create for your business. Consistency is the social media “gold standard” in many ways. A comment tree is one way that companies like Polka Dot Impressions can speak in the voice of other businesses through social media channels. It’s also how large companies can maintain their common voice when multiple staff members post on behalf of the company. And it’s a great way to begin identifying and developing your own social media policies, which leads to better brand and reputation management!

Posted in Social Media | Tagged | Comments Off on Why You Should Create a Social Media Comment Tree

Mobile Or Not – The Technical Differences Between Mobile And Stay At Home Security

Posted on March 29, 2023 by schatzi

Over the last few years there has been an increase in the presences of the “Mobile” offerings of websites. Many have “Mobile versions now, and there are even many “Mobile versions of games, and the “Mobile” revolution has increased the popularity of the “App.” But aside from the way a page or game displays on the mobile device, many people don’t realize the other technological differences in these programs, and this is never more apparent than when mobile users question the experts. On these websites there is a much more detailed version of this explanation of the differences, but in a nutshell, here is why many standard programs and apps may not work very well on a mobile device.

Identifying The Target Computer

Security expert, Michael Maxstead, explains that PPTP, IPSec, and SSL all use the IP address of the computer on the other end of the tunnel to identify that the computer it is communicating with is the correct device. And this is perfect for a device that is stationary… an at home PC, hotel LANs, and even the occasional WiFi hot-spot. But, when this connection point changes often, for example, many mobile devices will have 3 and 4G connections using the cell towers along with these “Hot-spots” and wireless AP’s. And will “hop” from connection point to connection point quickly. A standard VPN client isn’t designed with these constant changes in mind, so many disconnects and AP changes causes crashes, time-outs and tunnel breaks.

The Mobile VPN Client

According to Mr. Maxstead, a mobile VPN solution from a provider like IPVanish, or Hide-My-Ass, wouldn’t rely on the connection point, (AP,) IP address. But instead assigns a logical IP address to the mobile device that will stay with the device, rather than the AP which changes so often. It is in this way that a VPN becomes transparent in its communications. Otherwise there would be a lot of disconnects, reconnection, and re-authentications. With a logical IP address the mobile unit can seamlessly move from one wireless AP to another: Change from 4G to 3G, or even the slower 2G connection, change from wireless coverage to a WiFi hot-spot, and even change from any of the above to a docked port.

Mobility A Little More Complicated Internally

But the seamless way in which a mobile device handles the changing AP’s really makes the clients worth the extra expense often incurred when purchasing a VPN service that has mobile technology clients, claims the security CEO. “I have personally seen a few people who tried to use the same client as they use on their desktop to no avail. It invariably takes hours fixing the device removing the client,” during which he takes the opportunity to explain why it didn’t work…

Posted in Mobile Apps | Tagged | Comments Off on Mobile Or Not – The Technical Differences Between Mobile And Stay At Home Security

Learn How to Burn Gamecube Games Like a Pro

Posted on March 28, 2023 by schatzi

As the Gamecube gets on in years, gets passed down to younger gamers, and discs continue to increase in wear, there’s an increasing market for backing up and burning Gamecube games. People want to protect their investment, and ensure their beloved classics are playable for years to come. Burning Gamecube games is fairly similar to burning games for any other system, though with a few unique quirks. Well give you the information you’ll need to successfully burn Gamecube games in this article.

First lets look at the tools you’ll need to successfully burn Gamecube games. Naturally you’ll need the image file of the game you intend to burn, and well leave it up to you to either find or make an image file for the game you wish to burn. Next you’ll need a good DVD burner. Gamecube games are notoriously finicky with certain burners, but work well with Pioneer and NEC burners. If you find your burns simply aren’t working, or the quality is low, you may need to look into acquiring a more compatible burner.

Unlike the majority of consoles, movies, etc., the Gamecube doesn’t make use of standard DVDs, but rather Mini DVDs, and these aren’t always easy to find due to being in far less demand. Your best bet for finding blank Mini DVDs may be an online shop, though major chains like Office Depot should also carry some.

Lastly you’ll need a good game burning software program. There are free programs available, as well as paid software such as Game Copy Wizard. We typically recommend the paid software, as its compatibility and quality is much higher than any of the free software programs available when trying to burn Gamecube games. In the event that your game image file is called.gcm, you can simply rename the file to.iso. All of your files should be.iso files before you attempt to burn them with any image burning software.

With all the tools in place, you should be able to go ahead and burn your games, being sure to follow the instructions of your particular image burning program. When burning, its always wise to burn at a slower speed, and you should also shut down any unnecessary programs from running, as any spike in computer activity while burning could negatively impact the quality of the burn. Its a good idea to unhook your internet connection entirely while burning.

Of course, there’s one final element that needs to be considered, and the major issue encountered when trying to play burned games, and that is the fact that video game consoles, including the Gamecube, will never play backup discs without some form of modification (which usually involves having to ruin your warranty). Yes, as silly as it seems on the surface, you’re legally allowed to backup your games, yet those backups are all but useless, as they can’t be played on any console without modifying it, making your backups all but useless unless additional steps are taken.

For the Gamecube, you have two main methods at your disposal, you can either hard mod the console, invalidating its warranty, or you can soft mod it, which involves purchasing the memory card Max Drive Pro, and downloading custom software to it which will allow it to run backup games while inserted into the Gamecube.

We hope this article has helped you learn how to burn Gamecube games. You should be well on your way to burning perfect copies of the greatest Gamecube games ever made. Don’t accept that your old, worn out games have reached the end of their time with you. Burn new copies of them and continue to enjoy them for years to come.

Posted in Game | Tagged | Comments Off on Learn How to Burn Gamecube Games Like a Pro