The Truth about Patching Dispelling five common myths by Mark Shavlik, President and CEO of Shavlik Technologies, LLC As arguments continue to rage about whether an agent-based or agentless patching technique is more effective, see which side you're on after we dispel five common myths. According to an April 2006 report from the Yankee Group consultancy in Boston, Mass., the various security investments enterprises have made do, indeed, make it more difficult for “criminals, spies and miscreants” to break into corporate networks. However, the report says the criminal element is focusing on new attack strategies, one of which is “quickly creating and launching exploits to vulnerabilities before enterprises can patch against them.”

Editorial Corner

Dispelling five patching myths ... Canning the bad stuff ... Preventing little gadgets from killing big things Believe that agent-based systems work better than agentless patching technologies? Maybe not after reading these five myths. Diversify. That's the recurring theme when it comes to managing spam. Check out what readers suggest to do about the war on spam. Little gadgets like USB drives make it through the front desk and into users' computers. Not many companies can ban these useful toys, so how do you deal with gadgets entering your network? Your input DOES make a difference. We've used your great suggestions, turning them into stories or questions for readers. As the world of IT continuously changes, we must stay on top of things. Please submit your ideas to keep this newsletter fresh and updated. As a thank you, we enter your name into a virtual box for a drawing where you could win a 256MB MP3 player. We archive every issue of The Remediator. If you can't wait 'til the next issue to get feedback, maybe the forums can help you. Starting with this issue, The Remediator Digest Security Digest will move from a monthly publication to a quarterly. The next issue will be in January. 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: Finding the right tool to can spam Email spamming is a serious problem affecting many organizations. Sifting through the software and applications on the market is overwhelming. What are the main criteria for choosing a good spam filter? What have readers' experiences been like? — Ted, Security Officer Read the best advice from readers of The Remediator Digest   This Issue's Security Dilemma: How do you stay secure with portables? They're everywhere! USB drives, digital cameras, music players and other portables are coming into the office. Sure, you can ban them — but people will get away with having them. Besides, isn't it better for people to listen to music on their portable players instead of on their computer? Well, unless they're downloading the music from their work PCs. How do you handle such gadgets for security's sake? — Mohinder, Tech Specialist 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: Tom Strader, server systems engineer with Blumenthal Performing Arts Center.

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