VPN-1 Products update
CheckPoint introduce four new product linesVPN-1 UTM Edge (UTL for Unified Threat Management)VPN-1 UTMVPN-1 PowerVPN-1 UTM PowerSimplified product offering- VPN-1 Express and VPN-1 Express unified to new product VPN-1 UTM- VPN-1 Pro and SecureXL unified to new product VPN-1 Power (*1)- VPN-1 UTM and VPN-1 Power unified to VPN61 UTM Power- VPN-1 Edge becomes VPN-1 UTM Edge (*2)*1 Faster performance - up to 400% faster*2 Typicaly company that does not have on-site IT Staff-> Competitive UTM Pricing - VPN-1 UTM significantly reduced vs former VPN-1 Extress CI line-> Cost of SmartDefense and AV Updates significantly reduced and starts at 500$/year-> VPN-1 Power -> More performance at a lower price. Power line integrate SecureXL at the price of former VPN-1 Pro (SecureXL formely add-on at 6000 $)-> SmartDefense pricing per gateway size (and not as formely per number of gateway)Upgrade-> Upgrading from Express, Express CI and VPN-1 Pro to new versions is concidered as functionality upgrade-> VPN-1 UTM and VPN-1 power are based on R61, to upgrade customers need to upgrade to R61Some restriction of Express are removed by VPN-1 UTM-> There is no concurent connections limit in VPN-1 UTM (formely 25 000)-> There is no maximum nb of gateways managed -in unlimited sites version)-> A SmartCenter purchased with VPN-1 UTM can also manage VPN-1 Power-> A SmartCenter can be placed in HA modeVPN-1 UTM Edge and VPN61 Edge are exactly the same product, no upgrade are needed.VPN-1 UTM include a CA A-Virus engine while VPN-1 UTM Adge includes an A-Virus based on ClamAV.VPN61 UTM include, Firewall, IPSec VPN, IPS based on SmartDefense and A-Virus.
How to configure ISA Server 2004 to log data to an SQL Server database
See the following article provided by Microsoft.http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;838710
Coffee as medicine ?
I found an excellent summary about the coffee being far more healthful than being harmful. Allow me to write down some excerts from this article. On the side effects of coffee drinking, the author notes:
"It's clear that coffee isn't for everyone. Its legendary jolt in excess doses -- that is, more than whatever your individual body can tolerate -- can increase nervousness, hand trembling, and cause rapid heartbeat. Coffee may also raise cholesterol levels in some people and may contribute to artery clogging"."pregnant women, heart patients, and those at risk for osteoporosis may still be advised to limit or avoid coffee".Like many people, I don't drink coffee in the evening - it can cost me a good night sleep. On the health benefits of coffee drinking, the author writes:"Could lower your risk of diabetes, Parkinson's disease, and colon cancer".
"People who smoke and are heavy drinkers have less heart disease and liver damage when they regularly consume large amounts of coffee compared to those who don't".
"There's also some evidence that coffee may help manage asthma and even control attacks when medication is unavailable, stop a headache, boost mood, and even prevent cavities".
On the effect coffee on children -"In fact, no studies show that coffee in reasonable amounts is in any way harmful to children." Overall, the author writes that coffee -"show no significant adverse affects on most healthy people"."For most people, very little bad comes from drinking it, but a lot ofgood".
Coffee is one of the great blessings of humanity. I raise my coffee cup to all you readers and wish you a long, health life.
SIM / SEM
SEM (security event management) / SIM (security incident management).SEM or SIM technology. Originally intended to manage the glut of alerts and advisories spit out by IDSes and firewalls, SEM/SIM products are evolving into complex system management tools that monitor a wide range of products and supervise everything from vulnerability information to attack management and patching. It’s difficult to find an IT security expert who doesn’t espouse the need for security management tools. “People are being buried by data”.SEM technology promises to tame that data by centralizing, correlating, and prioritizing log data from various devices, presenting it via sophisticated visualization features that make it easy for network admins to spot security vulnerabilities and evolving attacks.
Typically, SEM products work by gathering log data and logged events from the devices they support. The information is stored in files such as text-based system logs and SNMP traps, which are notifications generated by network devices of significant events, including startups, reboots, and authentication failures.
Because different products record logs and events in different ways, that information must be translated -- or normalized -- into a standard format used by the SEM device’s correlation engine. Depending on the product being used, information capture and translation may be performed by a software client, or agent, residing on the monitored device or transmitted in raw format to a central collection point where it is normalized.
