Benjammin.Net - IT/Computer Consulting Services

Updated:
29 Jul, 2005

Benjammin.Net - IT/Computer Consulting Services

Residential Customers -

Cable/DSL Internet Access - Looking to put in DSL or Cable

Firewalls - Looking to put in DSL or Cable Internet service at home? Don't go unprotected. Studies on the internet show that a user that connects to the internet is typically scanned for weaknesses within 6 minutes of being online!! Think you're safe with firewall software loaded on your laptop or PC running Windows? Remember, Firewall software is security software being installed on an inherently insecure system. Security alerts are issued by Microsoft weekly if not monthly! Don't be exploited by hackers on the internet. Firewalls also allow the connection of more than one computer in the house without having to pay for extra network addresses to your service provider. A typical home firewall (with print server) usually costs under $100.

Wireless - Maybe you'd like to set up a wireless access point so you and your buddies can come over and play games on the net without the hassle of cables everywhere? Maybe you'd like to do work while out in the back yard at the pool? Setting up the network correctly is important as the wireless system will broadcast your data like a TV signal for anyone with the right equipment to listen in!

Commercial Customers -

Networking - Cisco, Extreme Networks, 3COM, HP, you name it. I've played with so many routers switches and firewalls, I can't remember all the model numbers. If you need help setting up your internet connections with or without firewalls, VPN's and the like - no problem.

Email -

Sendmail - Tired of paying big bucks for an Exchange server with minimal licensing? Maybe you want better control and more options for your mail server. Big companies with thousands of email users save thousands of dollars every year by running Sendmail, the internet standard in email servers. It has excellent, customizable rules for blocking spam, filtering virii and it's FREE. The only cost is the setup cost. After that, user adds/changes/deletes will be the only administration until a new feature implementation is needed. And because it's open source, the community that maintains it worries more about bugs and security than dipping into your wallet.

Virus Attacks - Tired of virus contamination of your network, clients and servers? Although switching to a Mail Client less prone to security issues than OutLook is like prying a laptop from your VP's clutches, there are solutions out there to stopping the virus attacks as well as the SPAM.

POP vs IMAP - Worry about email scattered all over the computers you use? Do you have email on your desktop that belongs on your laptop and vice versa? Is backing up company email important to you? Mail you'd like to access your company email on the road and don't want people sniffing packets on the internet reading it? IMAP is the way to go. IMAP allow building of folders to store mail just like the desktop. Works with Outlook and most other popular email clients. It also supports SSL encryption to ensure privacy of you data. If you run Unix based email servers, it's even free! (UW-IMAP)

WebMail - There are extremely low cost WebMail solutions for mail systems already running Unix. They are fully compatible with both POP and IMAP based email.

Web Content Filtering - Is your business getting the most out of it's internet connection? It may be a surprise as to what activities are going on over the present connection that may not be business related. Personal Email, Music Downloads and streaming media are all examples of some of the non-business related activities enagaged in by employees during normal work hours. All this adds up to wasted bandwidth causing business related internet activites to be sluggish and irratic. Maybe it's time for a Web Content Filtering system that blocks unwanted or even possibly illegal activities from the company internet connection.

Firewalls - Are you getting the most out of your firewall? Maybe it's time for a performance checkup. Maybe you could use a DMZ or move hosts from the outside network where they are exposed to the hackers on the internet to inside the network where the firewall can provide better protection.

DNS - One of the most overlooked items in network today. DNS is the glue that holds IP addresses to the names used for browsing the internet or even emailing. Most companies with firewalls don't realize the benefits of running DNS internally. Not only does it provide cheap and easy network allocation accounting, but also better trackability for the activity on the network. Also, on the security front, many companies on the internet are denying access to their email servers if the originating email server cannot be properly resolved! This can prevent you from sending email to other companies or customers!

DHCP - Have lots of computers with constantly changing network parameters? How about mobile users that occasionally visit your network with wireless connections? DHCP is the way to make configuring computers on the network as painless as restarting the computer. Plus, with DynamicDNS updates, DNS will take care of itself. Time to change mail servers? Or DNS servers? Or default gateways? No problem. Change DHCP, reboot all the computers in question. Done.

Wireless - Want wireless? Unlike the single point home setups, multipoint wireless in the corporate environment has its catch-22's. However, once it's set up correctly, conference rooms can be plug and play. Users can roam the campus cord-free. Buildings can be joined without the need for expensive telecom lines with recurring monthly costs.

Check out my resume in the Library to see if your problem might be applicable to my fields of expertise..

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