«Companies are clamping down on employees' workplace use of the expanding range of free Internet services, such as instant messaging and video downloading, to protect themselves from viruses, communications traffic jams and regulatory missteps.
General Electric Co. has barred outside instant-messaging and file-sharing programs, as well as access to personal online e-mail accounts such as those offered by Yahoo! Inc. Telecom company Global Crossing Ltd. also blocks outside instant messaging and online e-mail accounts. JPMorgan Chase & Co. is one of many banks that blocks Internet services it can't track or monitor, including outside instant-messaging, phone and e-mail programs.
Another big bank, ABN Amro Holdings NV of the Netherlands, also bans many consumer-communications technologies, including Skype, the Internet phone service owned by eBay Inc.
The corporate crackdown underscores an emerging challenge for the Web. As the spread of broadband technology makes it possible for millions of Americans to watch TV on the Web or make cheap phone calls, companies, government agencies and universities are concerned about the possible side effects — including the threat of a worm or other bit of malicious code sneaking into their computer systems.
Continue reading "Corporate crackdown on Skype and others ?" »
Internet Security Threat Report. Time to Wake up !
The Symantec Internet Security Threat Report offers analysis and discussion of threat activity over a six-month period. It covers Internet attacks, vulnerabilities, malicious code, and future trends. The latest report, released March 7, is now available
Symantec Internet Security Threat Report Volume IX: March 2006 | View the Webcast
This volume of the Internet Security Threat Report offers an overview of threat activity that took place between July 1 and December 31, 2005. In this edition, the new threat landscape is shown to be increasingly dominated by attacks and malicious code that are used to commit cybercrime, criminal acts that incorporate a computer or Internet component. Attackers have moved away from large, multipurpose attacks on network perimeters and toward smaller, more focused attacks on client-side targets.
The threat landscape is coming to be dominated by emerging threats such as bot networks and customizable modular malicious code. Targeted attacks on Web applications and Web browsers are increasingly becoming the focal point for cybercriminals. Whereas traditional attack activity has been motivated by curiosity and a desire to show off technical virtuosity, many current threats are motivated by profit. They often attempt to perpetrate criminal acts, such as identity theft, extortion, and fraud, for financial gain. 
Over the last six months of 2005, Symantec detected an average of 1,402 Denial of Service (DoS) attacks per day. This is an increase of 51 percent from the first half of 2005, when Symantec detected an average of 927 DoS attacks per day.
source : http://www.symantec.com/enterprise/threatreport/index.jsp
Related : www.security.webtown.com.my
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Importing contacts into Skype and backing up contacts and running Skype in a company network.
I am testing some stuff on the matter of exporting/importing the contact list of Skype accounts. Lot’s of stuff has been written on this matter. But I am still looking for a proper stand-alone solution to manage Skype Contacts. In my case the ui.skype.com database never failed to feed back my contact-list but I would like to see a better solution to export/import Skype-contacts. I find the vcf – export system of Skype itself. not handy.
I also don’t like to fool around with the creating temporary addressbooks in outlook. I found also that for example Skylook is very handy when you have for example 1 addressbook in Outlook but not when you have multiple one. It’s a good program but it does not synchronize realtime (and not bothways) between MS Outlook / Skype. At least not yet.
Actually, imagine that you are an IT-person in a company with let’s say 100 users and the naming policy has been setup, so you will have to get everybody on Skype. It is important that people link up the Skype ID with the emailname of the user. Emails are managed mostly on a domain-controller, mailserver so you know who is who and there is authentication (www.company.com >> username.x@company.com). It is tedious for the internal IT to create on all 100 computers (and maintaining is even worse) the Skype ID’s separate and you need also to authorize all 100 Skype-ID to each separate station. Really boring stuff. This cannot be done centralized, since the there is nothing like company_x.ui.skype.com (ui.skype.com is the central publically visible element of the Skype Global User Database). It would be nice. But it does not exist. Therefore the application below is interesting. Also, imagine something goes wrong with your Skype-account, well you lost all your contact-data. Very annoying.
Skype Exporter
Skype Exporter is a very handy tool to export your contacts out of the Skype Client into xml or csv. Get it here : http://ryanfarley.com/blog/archive/2005/01/14/1439.aspx
Former versions of Skype did not allow users to backup/restore their infos (contacts, history,..).The Skype version doesn't keep your contacts when you log on another computer or do a fresh installation. It does now but It was for these reasons that the Skype Backup Tool was developped. It'll allows you to: - Backup/Restore skype infos to and from disk, network and removable media. See the FTP-option. Nice stuff. more here at http://www.s3ven.freesurf.fr/index.php?l=EN&menuid=2e
The Skype Backup tool will work when Skype is not running and creates a file skypeinfos.zip on your harddisk which contains all account data stored on your harddisk. It will backup all folder which have been create by different skype-account. You can chose which accounts to backup.
Skype Phonebook Thing from Japan.
I found a funny thing here. Not really sure what it does, but look interesting. On a japanese website I found a skype phonebook excel worksheet tool. I am testing it.
Idea : It would be nice and useful to able to import a csv or tab or xls file with Skype Usernames into a Skype Master Account which would have the authority to spread around the Company. This Skype Master Account would define all field-content and the users would not be able to change the content. The Skype Master would see an overview of transactions in the company Skype – Accounts. Users would not have the option to change the Skype Company list. Adminstrators would.
More later. Testing the options now.
Other interesting weblog on Skype : http://jkontherun.blogs.com/jkontherun/skype_stuff/index.html
Is EBay is going to recoup its $4.1 billion buy via the Skype for Business Control panel ? It will be Skype IN or OUT.
Lot’s of talk these days what is the role Ebay on the level of distributing the Skype small business model. What is the role of Ebay in the project «Skype for Business» (www.skype.biz). How will Ebay use and work together with Skype. If you want to be a distributor of Skype Services that is a very important question on the level of Sales- and Sales-Support. Who is working for who ? Is Ebay just a cash-register via Paypal and will Ebay use Skype only for their own auction-purpose ? Where do Small Business (end-users, resellers, agents) go to address their needs in the «Skype for Business» project. In other words : who is representing Skype and how will the local business-networks be setup. Who can I trust when I buy Skype-credit ? A login page with : «I am a one man company, a 10 user company, a 100 user company» that refers you to the proper solutions would be interesting. For every level there will be different needs to be addressed. The best and answer and performance will make the sale. You can make a one time sale, but you might not create recurrent business, because you are just fooling around and using the customer as a test-case… The money you make during the quick and fast sale, you might lose during deployment, maintenance and support. The cost of the support / service and the SLA is part of the price. For any company : it will be «Skype IN or Skype OUT.»
What is the answer to the question «Hi, we are a company who considers Skype as a serious solution to be added to our exising communications-system (VoIP and Pabx), we would like to talk to your local representative. Can you send us somebody to give a presentation.»
Thinking now, while talking of a Skype university / training school to train people to become a Skype Certified Consultant, installer or Vendor. Become a Skype Franchiser. Get the local vendor rights. Skype Solution Provider. Skype Affiliate… Just keeping the brand a brand an not something that everybody will surf on, just like that. Consulting and talking to the existing hardware vendors would be a good start.
You will be to buy anything anywhere (skype-credit, skype-devices, skype-software) but the real question is : who do you trust to provide a Service Level that suits your Business. Who is going to solve your problem. The question today is not «where do you want to go» it is (has always been) «where do you want your problems to go». Meaning how good will the combination Skype / Ebay to address the SME market via www.skype.com/business – www.skype.biz and the Skype for Business Control panel.
I hope it’s not an appetizer for somebody or something else and many of the security issues have not been addressed (yet) on the Skype Security Blog. Read this : Analyst firm warns against Security dangers with Skype
Ebay / Business : EBay share-slide becomes key trade for short-sellers (key growth areas such as the Asia-Pacific region ) | http://www.voipnow.org/2006/03/how_ebay_is_fin.html – we’ll see. Skype has revamped a number of applications to cater to a corporate audience | VoIP 1, telecoms giants 0: an upset in the group of death | Skype appealing to business users ? | How eBay is finally using Skype | 
Skype TV Podcast | China and Tom.com |
Hardware : Record Skype Calls Using Nicecast | Skype Phones - S3 Speech (Cool shop for Skype phones in the UK) | 
Pocket PC SIP Softphone v2.2 for Windows Mobile Pocket PC |
And yet another good only Skype Phone / Devices store : http://www.nexotek.com/
Other VoIP Services : FreeCalls365 Launches Free PC-to-Phone VoIP Service
Software and OS : 
Skype Video Conferencing Plugin : AvaCon for Skype Video Conferencing ( basically you can now transmit video images from your webcam while you're having a voice call with multiple people, while you're text chatting with somebody and even when you’re not engaged in any Skype activity altogether ) AVACON™ Version 1. 0.16 [ZIP] | Linux : Skype@FreeBSD 5.x | Skype for Symbian within 2006 | SkypeName in Corporate LDAP directory |
Interesting Sites and Blogs : Skype Download Counter | Where People Speak Before they Meet! http://www.verbdate.com/
Bluetooth : vitaero is Skype-certified software application that seamlessly manages a connection between Skype, your PC and your Bluetooth headset. Now you can be up to 20* metres away from your PC while using your headset to wirelessly manage Skype calls | make a Bluetooth headset work with XP SP2
Asustek Skype Wifi phone. This 802.11g unit has a 128x65 display and can control playback of Windows Media Player on your PC, or even play the tunes itself. It also sports a USB connection for charging, 2 hours of talk time, and 25 hours of standby. Source :Digitimes via Engadget. | New Wi-Fi Skype handset from Asus |
PABX Integration with Skype : Something fresh at Peerio !
A free peer-to-peer enterprise-grade VoIP software with business level PBX features, multi-lingual Instant Messaging and much more ... For dynamic small businesses who value efficiency over tradition Free Download (5.2 MB) | PeerioBiz Overview.
Blackberry, Microsoft, Governance IM and Hackers.
NT government forges ahead on VoIP (is targeting user support and governance as critical to the success of a looming state-wide Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) rollout) | Inventor of Hotmail turns his attention to weblogs | Microsoft Office Live Communications Server 2005 | 
RIM adds instant messaging in Blackberry Server 4.1 | 
Expect hackers to shift targets in 2006 | Skype: The new look of talk | Consumers union recommends BelBOX for Skype use | eBay 'not guilty' as GOC drops prosecution | Denmark forces citizens online. Gamers too? | NT government forges ahead on VoIP | Primus Telecom calls in a new VoIP service. | Consumers union recommends BelBOX for Skype use | Huge Phone Deal Seeks to Thwart Smaller Rivals (AT&T's acquisition of BellSouth would recreate a big chunk of the Ma Bell monopoly that was broken up in 1984).
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Skype on a USB-stick, even more problems for IT-managers..
For people that are not allowed to run Skype in their network on the harddisk of the company computer. Poor buggers… Mostly this happens when IT-managers don’t know how to implement Skype safely (there are issues!) or when the Management has not been convinced of the advantages.
Somebody gave me this link and this one on the Skype-forum about Skype on a USB-Stick («in order not to leave traces»).
Yet another reason for IT-manager to close the USB-holes.
Get the file : Skype_Mobile.zip here : http://rapidshare.de/files/1410284/Skype_Mobile.zip.html
| Online: | Skype 2.x Video |
USB Ipfone |
Integrate Skype / Outlook |
Pamela Skype Answering Machine | SAM Skype Answering Machine | Yappernut-box | USB-Telbox |
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