When installed, a firewall exists between your computer(s) and the Internet. The firewall lets you request web pages, download files, chat, etc. while making sure other people on the internet can not access services on your computer like file or print sharing. Some firewalls are pieces of software that run on your computer. Other firewalls are built into hardware and protect your whole network from attacks.

Everyone connected to the Internet should be running some sort of firewall. Programs can be downloaded on the Internet that can scan huge ranges of IP address for vulnerabilities like file sharing services. These programs are easy to download and run. Almost no network knowledge is needed to use these programs to exploit or harm your computer. Any kind of firewall will keep you safe from these types of attacks.

SonicWALL firewalls reduce risk, cost and complexity with advance design, UTM, wireless and VPN to deliver protection and maximum performance. At Pilothouse Communications, we have been providing our customers with SonicWALL products and have received excellent reviews.

Pilothouse and Brivo together offer three Brivo Online Access Control Systems:

1. ACS WebService^TM for robust, secure Web-hosted access control 
2. ACS OnSite^TM, a Web-connected system that allows control at a single facility, even if it houses multiple businesses 
3. OnSite SE^TM, a powerful IT “appliance”-based access control solution for users who wish to retain data within their organization’s own network

Also, Brivo is able to offer powerful security, integrated video, low ownership cost, access anywhere, and it is also very simple to use.

For more information, visit:

http://pilothousecomm.com/solutions/video-surveillance-access-control/products.htm

I came across this article in Computerworld that discusses the business trends for 2011. After  reading the article, I have to agree. These trends are something that will certainly have an impact in 2011.

Personally, I feel that mobile computing will dominant the rest and will strive to implement unified communications. (UC). One of the key features, is the ability to see the correspondent’s availability in real time and know if they can be reached by voice, text or video. The problem occurs when they forget to update their status throughout the course of the day.

Location-based presence is based on the idea that if you know where people are, you can better plan meetings and other activities based around those results. 

The mobile industry has come up with a number of location-based technologies that enable mobile presence. People are rarely without their mobile phones, so if we can find the mobile phones, we can find users. These techniques vary with regard to the mobile technology they depend on (e.g. Wi-Fi, cellular, Bluetooth), coverage area, accuracy and battery draw.

Presence is one of the core capabilities of UC, but users are busy, they’re often on the move and they will not use a capability that’s more trouble than it’s worth. In addition, if it turns out to be an unreliable mechanism to determine availability, users will simply ignore it or continue to use tried-and-true methods. Location-based technologies are one of the most significant developments in mobility, and as users are rarely without their mobile devices, locating those devices will be the key to locating the users. The bottom line is, if we want integrated communications, we’d better start addressing the practical issues. Fortunately, the consumer mobile offerings show us the path.