The Need for Proactive Crisis Leadership Developing a responsive crisis management program by Meryl K. Evans, editor of The Remediator Security Digest No matter how sophisticated you think your favorite science fiction story is, there's always one stock character that's crucial to the genre. The brilliant scientist, the alien adventurer and the dashing spaceship captain all have a sidekick who asks lots of questions.

Editorial Corner

Crisis Management Beyond IT When we're wrapped up in our jobs, we sometimes forget the bigger picture. So when we think of crises management, we think in terms of hacking, disgruntled employees bringing down the network and stolen passwords. However, it doesn't stop there. Crisis know no boundaries and can attack all departments within a company, not just one. In this month's feature, Ian I. Mitroff, author of Why Some Companies Emerge Stronger and Better from a Crisis, gives sound advice on crisis management. It's ironic that last month's dilemma asked about speeding up a computer without breaking it — because my computer came close to death. It couldn't and wouldn't boot, and reinstalling Windows did nothing. Thankfully, I accessed the hard drive and pulled off the data files before we rebuilt it. Lesson learned: Get a shared drive. The overwhelming reader response indicates you're pro computer cleaners with plenty of recommendations to share. While you might know many of the tips offered, you may pick up a few new ones. Based on your feedback, many of you do every job in IT because you work for a small company or one with limited resources. This month's dilemma asks how to manage security like a generalist. Even if you work for a large IT shop, you may have advice or experience that can help those who manage anything and everything IT. Thanks for continuously telling us what you think of the newsletter and how we can better serve you. You can find past issues in the archives or participate in the forums, as the community helps each other solve problems. Anytime you give us a shout out, we enter your name into a drawing for a chance to win a cool 256 MB MP3 player. Best, Meryl K. Evans Editor, The Remediator Security Digest To unsubscribe instantly or change your preferences, see links at the bottom

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Last Issue's Security Dilemma: Changing a computer from turtle to rabbit I try to keep my computer clean from viruses, adware, spyware, cookies and temporary files and so on. But I'm sure there are more things I can do and programs I can use to do a better job at keeping my computer running smoothly. What are some ways to safely clean up a computer and accelerate its speed? — Mallory, Tech Read the best advice from readers of The Remediator Digest   This Issue's Security Dilemma: Securing the small business with limited staffing IT employees working for a small business almost always do everything, from Exchange Server and SQL queries to network and user management to phone security. What is the best way for a small staff to get everything done? How should you handle security from a generalist point of view? — Wesley, Tech Can You Help? Share your experience. You could win a 256 MB MP3 Player. Congratulations to this month's winner of a 256 MB MP3 Player: Spence Hammond, engineer, Brightwerks

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