April 2012
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Greetings! Enjoy another issue of NetEqualizer News! This month, we preview two new NetEqualizer features (Priority Subnets and our Professional Quota API), demonstrate our improved tool that uses Microsoft Excel to harness and interpret bandwidth data, and lastly we discuss the truth about web security in our Best of Blog series. As always, feel free to pass this along to others who might be interested in NetEqualizer News. |
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A message from Art…
1) Via your own NTP Time Servers Try it out, and never have to worry about time settings with your NetEqualizer again! We love it when we hear back from you – so if you have a story you would like to share with us of how we have helped you, let us know. Email me directly here. I would love to hear from you! |
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New Feature: Priority Subnets Beginning with the 5.8 Software Update, the NetEqualizer will be capable of providing priority connections to entire subnets – not just individual IP addresses. To specify a priority subnet, you can use the existing Priority Host interface by inputting a subnet in CIDR notation. Here is an example: Input the priority subnet in CIDR notation: 192.168.1.0/24 The prefix of /24 would subsequently provide priority to the IP addresses in the following range: 192.168.1.0 through 192.168.1.255 This feature can be useful when trying to prioritize traffic from a given section of your network – video streaming servers, for instance. —- As always, the 5.8 Software Update will be available at no charge to customers with valid NetEqualizer Software Subscriptions (NSS). For more information on the NetEqualizer or the upcoming release, visit our blog or contact us at: sales@apconnections.net New Feature: Professional Quota API Beginning with the 5.8 Software Update, the NetEqualizer will have the ability to set bandwidth use quotas via a GUI for specific IP addresses. This is an improvement upon our existing User Quota API toolset commands in that it is now even easier to create a custom quota solution that meets your needs. If a quota is surpassed, you have multiple options on how to handle the abuser: – Only email them a warning (which can often be effective enough).
There is also a reporting interface that allows you to monitor bandwidth use as a whole across each IP. This helps you determine if users exist that are hogging more than their fair share of the bandwidth. —- As always, the 5.8 Software Update will be available at no charge to customers with valid NetEqualizer Software Subscriptions (NSS). For more information on the NetEqualizer or the upcoming release, visit our blog or contact us at: sales@apconnections.net Analyzing NetEqualizer with Excel – Improved! Because of this interest level, we decided to improve the functionality of this tool. For instance, one of the problems with the prior tool set was that we used an Excel function called a “web query.” This meant we had to program in a long string of commands about the NetEqualizer and where it resided. Now, all you have to do is put in the IP address of the NetEqualizer, and the rest is done for you. This is especially handy if the IP address changes, or you have more than one NetEqualizer. Other additional features include: – The ability to convert IP addresses to country of origin. View the demonstration video. This video is no longer available. This functionality has been replaced with Dynamic Real-Time Reporting in software update 7.1.
We have working examples of this tool that we are happy to share with you. If you are interested, please contact us at: sales@apconnections.net Please be aware that NSS and NetEqualizer Support does NOT cover this tool or any bug fixes related to external programs. The Truth About Web Security (And How to Protect Your Data)
By Zack Sanders – Security Expert – APconnections Internet security is an increasingly popular and fascinating subject that has pervaded our lives through multiple points of entry in recent years. Because of this infiltration, security expertise is no longer a niche discipline teetering on the fringe of computer science – it’s an integral part. Computer security concerns have ceased to be secondary thoughts and have made their way to the front lines of business decisions, political banter, and legislative reform. Hackers are common subjects in movies, books, and TV shows. It seems like every day we are reading about the latest security breach of a gigantic, international conglomerate. Customers who once were naive to how their data was used and stored are now outwardly concerned about their privacy and identity theft. This explosion in awareness has, of course, yielded openings for the opportunistic. Companies now know there is a real business need for security, and there are thus hundreds of solutions available to you to improve your security footprint. But most of them are not telling you the truth about how to really secure your infrastructure. They just want to sell you their product – hyping its potential, touting its features, and telling you to install it and – *poof* – you no longer need to worry about security – something those in the industry call “Security Theater.” In many ways, these companies are actually making you less secure because of this sales point. Believing that you can plug in an “all-in-one device” and have it provide you with all of your security controls sounds good, but it’s unrealistic. When you stop being diligent on multiple levels, you start being vulnerable. Real security is all about two things: 1) Being PROACTIVE.
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The Mighty Mississippi |
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