Network Performance Monitors: Monitor and diagnose network performance

In today's world, IT administrators have to troubleshoot and fix a problem even before it starts affecting the end user. These degradations can reduce your company’s ability to do business. Network Performance Monitor is a cloud-based hybrid network monitoring solution that helps you monitor network performance between various points in your network. It also helps you monitor network connectivity to service and application endpoints.Without the right access and network performance monitoring tools to the right information, often enterprises have difficulty diagnosing the cause of outages and slowdowns.

Network Performance Monitor detects network issues like traffic blackholing, routing errors, and issues that conventional network monitoring methods aren't able to detect. The solution generates alerts and notifies you when a threshold is breached for a network link. It ensures timely detection of network performance issues and localizes the source of the problem to a particular network segment or device.

Generally, A Network Performance Monitor offers three broad capabilities:

• Performance Monitor: Monitors network connectivity across cloud deployments and on-premises locations, multiple data centers, and branch offices and microservices. With Performance Monitor, you can detect network issues before users complain.

• Service Endpoint Monitor: You can monitor the connectivity from your users to the services you care about, determine what infrastructure is in the path, and identify where network bottlenecks occur. You can even know the exact location of the issues along your network path.

• This capability helps you perform tests based on HTTP, HTTPS, TCP, and ICMP to monitor in near real time or historically the availability and response time of your service. You also can monitor the contribution of the network in packet loss and latency. With a network topology map, you can isolate network slowdowns.

• ExpressRoute Monitor: Monitor end-to-end connectivity and performance between your branch offices and our Network Performance Monitor. Discover all the ExpressRoute private peerings that are connected to the virtual networks.

When every minute of downtime can cost you thousands, if not millions of dollars, maintaining 100% uptime all the time is a necessity. Hence choose an advanced Network Performance Monitor wisely.

How blockchain changes everything

Blockchain - Innovation behind Bitcoin

When the internet first arrived,there was a saying, “it would change everything”. After these years, while keep changing everything and as the Internet of Things grows rapidly, it is clear that the internet has become the nervous system of our smart, connected world. Now it’s clear that, It is the Blockchain that changes everything. Blockchain is such an untried technology that it can be easy to make some bold metaphysical statements and sounds smart.

Blockchain has become among the hottest technologies today. Blockchain does solve some of the issues with traditional payment methods. It credit payments faster. Traditional methods often have to do transactions through banks before the money is credited to the merchant’s account. Since transactions can’t be reversed, merchants have little to worry about chargebacks from fraudulent transactions.

Democracy will be revolutionised by the Blockchain.The Blockchain can ensure nobody votes more than once and can also ensure that votes remain anonymous. Blockchain will also end cash counterfeiting. Sooner, all paper money will be issued with unique serial numbers and a digital signature such as a barcode recorded on the Blockchain.

A Blockchain is a digital record of transactions. What’s special about the Blockchain database is that it is distributed and transparent. which means there are always copies of the records being made and circulated. So that makes it almost impossible to hack. Everyone in the chain knows instantly if an attempt is made to change or falsify a record.

Huge companies are now keen on exploring its possible applications to their business while scores of startups are also rushing to offer blockchain-based services across a variety of verticals. Fine art, cars, jewellery, boats – in fact anything of value or importance in our lives – will be registered and tracked on the Blockchain. At the end of the day, the point is that blockchain technology works in real life products and its adoption is spreading.

Hackify- The Binacional Hackathon, Tijuana on February 23-25

We, Chris Behar Consulting have been invited by the Hackify team along with the computer specialists, developer coders to unite with more than 25 universities to collaborate intensively on software projects. The tech celebration will be the first ever Binational hackathon at Tijuana, Mexico from 23-25th February.

The Hackathon is aimed mainly for master hackers companies who not only wrack their brains out of pure passion and craziness for emerging technological innovation, but also believe their ideas and findings can influence the way the world thinks. It is designed to connect companies that have tech development projects that need to be built or worked on.

HIGHLIGHTS

• 100+ programmers
• 20,000+ ad impressions and mentions
• 100% local talent from San Diego & Tijuana

TECHNOLOGIES USED

The hackers are guided by the hackfest experts in creating impactful projects in Artificial Intelligence, Augmented reality, Virtual reality, Blockchain, Cryptocurrency and Mobile Development. Also, the companies can share the solutions for current technologies like AI Algorithm, CMR, Database solutions, App development.

And good news, It’s free for all registered and accepted hackers. They will provide WIFI, appetizers, great workspace and tons of coffee for the entire weekend.

Its gonna be a great opportunity to innovate and be on the leading edge of our industry.

Windows 10 and its support timelines at a glance

Like any other products, Microsoft announced the lifecycle dates for Windows 10 which makes us to make informed decisions about when to update, upgrade your software. For more info,see the Microsoft Lifecycle Policy or review the Modern Lifecycle FAQ. 

Windows 10 will have feature updates released twice a year. Your device needs to install the latest version before your current version reaches end of service to keep your device secure and supported by Microsoft. Each Windows 10 version will be serviced with quality updates for up to 18 months from availability. It is important that all quality updates are installed to help keep your device secure.

Let’s have a look at the Windows 10 Servicing Model or Windows-as-a-service (WaaS) release and support timelines.

Windows 10 Initial Release 1507 RTM (OS Build: 10240.17236)

• 1507 Initial Release Date: 7/29/2015

• 1507 End-of-Service: 5/9/2017

• No specific Semi-Annual Channel version released

Windows 10 November Update 1511 (OS Build: 10586.753)

• 1511 Current Branch Release Date: 11/12/2015

• 1511 Current Branch for Business Release Date: 4/8/2016

• 1511 End-of- Service:April, 28th, 2018 (Source: Microsoft)

Windows 10 Anniversary Update 1607 (OS Build: 14393.693)

• 1607 Current Branch Release Date: 8/2/2016

• 1607 Current Branch for Business Release Date: 11/29/2016

• Expected 1607 End-of-Service: Tentatively March 2018

Windows 10 Creators Update 1703 (OS Build: 15063.138)

• 1703 Current Branch Release Date: 4/11/2017

• 1703 Current Branch for Business Release Date: 7/11/2017

• Expected 1703 End-of- Service: Tentatively September 2018*

Windows 10 Fall Creators Update (OS Build: 16299.19)

• 1709 Semi-Annual Channel Release Date: 10/17/2017

• Expected End-of- Service: Tentatively March 2019

Expected Windows 10 "Redstone 4" Update

• 1803 Semi-Annual Channel Release Date (Expected): March 2018

• Expected End-of-Service: Tentatively September 2019

Windows 10 Servicing Options

Microsoft introduced its Windows 10 Branching Model, enterprises 3 different branches to choose from.

• Windows Insider Preview — Most larger businesses will only have a few tech-savvy early adopters in IT test-drive the preview version of the upcoming release to get a better feel for the new features and capabilities. 

• Semi-Annual Channel — Microsoft does not distinguish between the Current Branch and the Current Branch for Business anymore as the separation was "always artificial." Now, enterprises can designate their broader IT team and early adopters among their business users to the Semi-Annual Channel (Targeted) in the SCCM as they run their internal pilot phases. Once those are completed, the enterprise decides when to move into broader deployment. This allows your team additional pre-deployment testing period. 

• Long-Term Servicing Channel — formerly known as Long-Term Servicing Branch. Enterprises who wish to deploy Windows 10 for a long time while reducing the number of non-essential changes to the devices can opt-in to the Long-Term Servicing Channel. Clients will only receive service updates for the duration of their Windows 10 deployment — up to about ten years. Use cases include ATMs and other critical machine functions that are not suitable for perpetual upgrade.

It’s clear that IT departments need to prepare themselves for a significant culture shift in managing Windows-as-a-Service and a constant plan of action is required to ensure that your organization is ready for the latest feature upgrade.

Importance of knowing about Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity: Best Practices

Cyber-attack is now an international concern.Cybersecurity is the one of the main challenge now we are facing all over the world. Its hurdle is increasing multifold and the government is working on every level of digital infrastructure to make it secure.

A cyber-attack is a deliberate exploitation of computer systems, technology-dependant networks. Cyber-attackers use malicious code and software to alter computer code, logic, or data, resulting in groundbreaking consequences that can compromise our data and lead to cyber-crimes such as information and identity theft.

As the number of services available online are expanding, its growth is being exponential. And  it increases the evolution of online criminals who are engaged in a continuous game with security experts. Migration of data to third-party cloud providers arised an epicentre of data hence more opportunities to misappropriate critical information from a single target. Similarly, mobile phones are now targets, expanding the opportunities to penetrate security measures. Lets see what we can do to avoid such a hurdle.

What can we do?

Create strong password

Businesses can make sure that they have strong security processes in place.Creating a strong tricky password is the main thing you can do to stay yourself in online. More secure your password, less chance to get it hacked.Get notified, If your account is accessed from an unidentified location.

Use a firewall

Use a firewall/ad blocker to block unauthorized access to computers and devices. It will make sure all devices connected to your network are secured. Also make sure that your security software is set to run regular scans too. Also, always backup your data at regular intervals.

Use an encrypted connection

Make sure you use an encrypted connection when sending sensitive data such as money transfer. Like, ensure the website’s address starts with “https” rather than “http”. Make sure you never enter personal information into an HTTP website as this is not a secure.

Computer networks will forever be the target of criminals, and it can be argued that the danger of cyber-security breaches will only increase in the future as networks continue to expand. Having the right level of preparation and specialist assistance is vital to minimise and control damage, and recover from a cyber breach and its consequences.

Future of Cryptocurrency is threatened by Quantum computers

A whitepaper has been released which finds that Bitcoin and other crypto currencies will be vulnerable to attacks by quantum computers in as little as 10 years.  The paper describes such attacks could have a disastrous effect on crypto currencies, a market now worth over USD $150 billion as hackers equipped with quantum computers could easily steal the funds without detection. They also assess the risk of quantum dominated mining in so called Proof of Work protocols which are the basis for verifying transactions in Crypto currency and Bit coins.

Quantum computing uses quantum bits that can exist in any superposition of values between 0 and 1 thus creating large information which is the limit of classical computing systems. The capacity to compute using quantum bits renders quantum computers many orders of magnitude faster than classical computers. Google shared a D-Wave quantum annealing computer could be 100 million times faster than classical computers at certain tasks. And Google and IBM are working on their own quantum computers. Hence, a working quantum computer could, in theory, break today’s public key cryptography.

Quantum computers capable of speedy number factoring are not available yet. If quantum computing continues emerging, it will get there eventually. This advance will pose an existential threat to public key cryptography, and the blockchain technology that relies on it, including Bitcoin, will be vulnerable to hacking.

"Understandably, there is a lot of nervousness in cryptocurrency communities about whether their digital assets will resist future attacks by very fast quantum computers. Our service is providing advice and algorithmic protocols to digital currencies and blockchains like Hcash who want to certify their product will be quantum safe. HCash has put emphasis on quantum security from the start so this collaboration will be a benefit to both teams" says co-author Brennen, who is director of the Macquarie Quantum Science and Technology Centre (QSciTech) where researchers work on quantum science theory and experiment.
 

However, quantum computing is a threat for all computer security systems that rely on public key cryptography, not just blockchain. All security systems, need to consider post-quantum cryptography to maintain data security for their systems. But the easiest and most efficient route may be to replace traditional systems with blockchain systems that implement quantum-resistant cryptography.