Uri Unplugged

Lately I’ve been contacting RADirect customers that I know work in Mac environments to introduce them to Nexsan’s newly launched (read press announcement) SATABeast Xi SATA array – designed specifically for Apple Xserve and Mac Pro systems.

Like the standard SATABeast SATA array, the Xi version has all the enterprise-class features you’d expect, at an extremely low price (as low as $1,250 per TB):

• High density, with up to 42 TB in only 4U
• Greener – extreme energy efficiency saves on operating costs
• Flexible, scalable, and completely OS independent
• Single or dual RAID controllers
• Redundant, hot swappable components

And it's been modified for use in Apple environments:

• Look and feel - the SATABeast Xi’s form factor and GUI interface have been redesigned to be more familiar and comfortable to Apple / Mac users.
• Looks great in Safari / Leopard interfaces.
• Ideal for data intensive multimedia applications like uncompressed real-time HDTV and high quality video editing.
• Also compatible with non-Apple servers and workstations, so it's perfect for mixed OS environments.
• No premium pricing – the SATABeast Xi is available at the same price point as the standard SATABeast.

For more details, you can download the complete SATABeast and SATABeast Xi SATA array data sheets from RADirect’s web site – start here.

If you’ve already deployed the SATABeast Xi, I’d love to hear from you.

Posted by Stephen Insdorf at 10:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

It’s February 14th, and you’re slugging through the work day, counting down the hours until the romantic dinner you planned tonight with your sweetie.

An unexpected e-mail pops into your inbox. Someone sent you a Valentine’s Day e-card! “Click here to retrieve your greeting,” instructs the message.

“How sweet,” you gush in excited anticipation, as you dutifully click on the email’s embedded link to retrieve your e-card.

Oops. What unleashes next is anything but words of endearment. It’s the Storm Worm virus, and faster than you can say “Roses are Red”, malware is downloaded to your PC. Congratulations! You’ve been infected, and are now the latest unwitting victim of the Storm Worm botnet.

Not exactly the love you were looking for, but you’re far from alone. According to Time Magazine, the Storm Worm virus has already infected upwards of one million computers worldwide since it was first discovered about a year ago.

Looks like you’ll have to wait for that romantic dinner after all, since this e-card was actually spam in disguise.

If you haven’t heard of the Storm Worm virus, it spreads itself under a wide range of pretenses - most recently under the guise of an e-card, and often around popular holidays like Christmas or Valentine’s Day. A recent FBI warning announced that this Valentine’s Day is expected to be the next big target. Additional warnings have been showing up on numerous web sites, including this one from Network World.

This is just one real-life example of how quickly and easily malicious threats can wreak havoc on your corporate network. At RADirect, we’ve noticed an increase lately in organizations (especially SMBs and extra-vulnerable business like hospitals and universities) looking for a solution to protect themselves from such attacks.

We recommend and sell the Radware DefensePro (starting at $9995) intrusion prevention system (IPS). This solution is unique because it has the ability to detect and block both known (signature-based) AND unknown (zero-day) attacks, like Storm Worm and the similarly destructive Rahack. The latter is done via adaptive behavioral analysis, and requires no human intervention.

And by the way, if you do fall victim to the Storm Worm virus, you can notify the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) by filing a complaint at IC3.gov.

So, Happy Valentine’s Day! Hope yours is filled with love, romance, and absolutely nothing involving worms or viruses.

Posted by Uri Zilberman at 08:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

On November 19th, I posted an entry about Nexsan's "ATA to SATA" trade-up offer that originally expired on December 21st, 2007.

Good news! Due to high response, Nexsan has extended the offer until March 31, 2008.

So here are the details one last time:

Who Qualifies?

Organizations that currently own any of these legacy Nexsan ATA storage products: ATABeast, ATABoy (8 bay product), ATABoy2, ATABoy2-F, or ATABoy2-X.

What's In It For Me?

Trade in one of the above units for a 45% discount off MSRP on Nexsan’s latest high density SATA-based storage systems - the 42TB/4U SATABeast SATA RAID array or 14TB/3U SATABoy SATA storage array (note: spares don't qualify).

Why Bother?

It's an opportunity to significantly upgrade your storage for a significantly discounted price. Both the SATABeast and SATABoy offer several improvements over their ATA-based predecessors, such as:

- Higher density with up to 42TB in a 4U chassis
- AutoMAID power-saving features
- iSCSI and 4Gb Fibre Channel connectivity

As before, don't hesitate to contact me directly if you're interested in taking advantage of this "ATA to SATA" trade-up offer.

Posted by Stephen Insdorf at 11:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

OK, so I know you’re not sitting at your desk viewing porn all day, but if you suspect (or know) that users on your network might be so inclined, read on...

We all know the expensive pitfalls of pornography in the workplace. Most obviously, it’s intrusive, offensive, and wastes valuable work hours. But even more importantly, it can lead to legal issues involving hostile workplace environments (hello, sexual harassment lawsuits).

With the recent release of their anti-spam appliance Mail-SeCure™ v3.6, PineApp added Inappropriate Content Control, also know as Porn MegaFilter. It's essentially an anti-pornography engine that eliminates the dirty stuff from corporate email systems by automatically detecting and blocking incoming and outgoing pornographic pictures as well as pictures embedded in PowerPoint presentations, videos and other media. It can also identify email with links to child pornography websites, block them and notify the administrator that the link is being sent.

At RADirect, we’ve received feedback from quite a few customers who said they would purchase Mail-SeCure for this feature alone. I find this alarming, only because it demonstrates how pervasive pornography in the workplace really is.

So what about your organization? Is pornography a big issue? How do you measure its costs? Have you faced, or been threatened with, legal action as a result of it? Do send me your feedback.

Posted by Uri Zilberman at 01:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

In just a few weeks we’ll ring in 2008 with the usual fanfare. But what’s not usual about this coming year is the state of uncertainty it brings along with it. With market volatility and the fear of a recession offering more questions than answers, we’re all a lot more cautious when it comes to spending money.

Of course, the logical reaction to such market uncertainty is to hold off on new projects and expenditures. My wife and I recently decided to postpone a new car purchase for this very reason.

But there’s no getting around the fact that some purchases, those most critical to the continuation of your business, simply can’t be put off.

If you need it, you need it.

But this year, more than ever, is the time to be extra diligent in evaluating your options.

This is the Year...
To scrap the old mantra: ‘No one ever got fired for buying [insert major brand name]’. Because although [insert major brand name] may have a strong reputation for reliability, chances are the associated outlay is much higher than you’re comfortable spending right now.

This is the Year...
To look for alternative solutions that will lower your overall TCO and offer a healthy balance between price, performance, and reliability.

This is the Year...
To minimize your risks by choosing a solution that’s been proven, yet still cost-effective.

At RADirect, I’m speaking with a lot of storage customers about things like consolidation and tiered storage, which fits right in with this way of thinking.

How is the current market volatility affecting your budget planning for 2008? Drop me a line - I’d love to hear from you.

Posted by Uri Zilberman at 02:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)