See Monkey Do

Establishing a fire suppression action program in the office is of the utmost importance. It is without a doubt that your business and assets, including your employees should be held secured. Keeping a fire from happening should be the first circumstance. Yet, no matter how safe a plan is, it is not impervious. Establishing fire suppression accessories are not adequate. Apart from fire prevention, you also need an action plan that will protect your force and minimize any further impairments to belongings.

Start out by organising a group whose purpose is to develop an operational FM200 Fire Suppression action program. After the group has been formed, they can begin identifying the worst achievable scenarios. When these scenarios have been named, they name and measure the regions in the workplace where a fire can most likely break out. They should also name where the fire can bring down the heaviest impairment and fan out most promptly to the rest of the building. Describin g where the fire can pose the heaviest scourge to everybody should be done also. Conforming the action plan to accommodate it to the needs of the workplace should be next. For multi-storey buildings, it is advised that separate programs be articulated for the different areas and floors so utmost safety is ensured. We should not forget that each component of the building is several from the others and may be more susceptible to fires.

Each individual should have a responsibility although it may seem minute because everybody is obligatory when speaking about fire hazards. Other strategic considerations include factors in the building like hardware installations, flammable fluids, electric and electronic equipments, environmental considerations and areas that demonstrate risk and may need extra security.

Embedded in the fire emergency program are:

Way for reporting a fire - Addressing the procedure on how to report fire emergencies as well alerting employees should be addressed. If pertinent, unique requirements for disabled or handicapped employees should be addressed.
Evacuation plan and routines - An emergency evacuation must be well prepared and integrated to avoid confusion, harm and supplemental danger.
Escape processes and route assignments - Strategically placed maps of floor plans with distinctly marked escape roads, safe areas and post-evacuation meeting regions.
Listing of names, titles, sections and phone numbers of people within your business or department.
Listing depicting and explaining the duties and responsibilities of key staff during a fire suppression
Procedures for workers who execute or shut down critical operations before evacuating, work fire extinguishers or other emergency equipment.
Rescue and medical duties key employees are assigned to do
Preparation on emergency reaction and accountability processes, evacuation, and basic aid

In the office, it is urgent that a fire suppression plan be implemented. It is without a question that your business and assets, including your workers should be held secured. Preventing a fire from happening should be the basic consideration. . Fire suppression equipments are also not enough. Aside from fire prevention, you also need an action plan that will protect your force and minimize any further damages to property.

Begin by forming a group whose function is to develop an operational FM200 Fire Suppression action program. Later, they can start by supposing the worst scenarios possible. From these scenarios, they would evaluate and describe regions in the office where a fire can most probably come about. Describing where the fire can fan out to the whole building most speedily and can inflict the hardest damage should likewise be done. Their judgment must include areas where the fire can demonstrate the heaviest threat to all residents. Conforming the action plan to accommodate it to the needs of the office should be next. To assure utmost protection, multi-storey buildings should develop separate action programs for each level. We should not forget that each region of the building is different from the others and may be more disposed to fires.

Fire risks are everybodys concern so each one should bear a responsibility no matter how small it may appear to be. Elements in the building such as electronic or electrical machines, regions that need demonstrate additional danger, areas that may take more security, environmental conditions and combustible fluids should also be calculated for.

Fire suppression action programs must admit:

Method for reporting a fire - Your action plan must address how employees will be informed in an emergency and how to report emergencies. The action plan should also admit the particular need of handicapped or afflicted workers if there are any.
Evacuation processes - In the event an emergency evacuation is indispensable, a confused evacuation can result in unreasonable risk to employees and may result in confusion and harm.
Escape roads and designations - Indicating evacuation regions, escape roads and rendering floor plans are necessary.
Pertinent contact data of personnel should be made available.
Description of obligations and responsibilties of key staff during fire emergencies
Availability of procedures for employees who are required to close vital operations, operate emergency equipment including fire suppressants.
Rescue and medical duties key employees are assigned to perform
Satisfactory preparation for accountability and evacuation procedures, initial aid and emergency reaction procedures

Essential to our protection are Fire Suppression Systems. One reason why fires are so damaging is people may not realize there’s already a fire going on while it is still starting out to build up. With no fire suppression systems put in, it may be too late for people to execute much preserving of belongings as well as people’s lives. They protect buildings and household occupants at the latest signals of fires so that people can escape to safety the soonest time possible.

Fire suppression tools can be triggered manually, automatically or by smoke and warmth detectors. Speaking of heat and smoke detectors, a level of heat and fume are already set in place in them and as soon as those degrees are went past, the alarms are now tripped suggesting that there is presence of fire. These warning devices come in the variety of blasting sounds or bright lights. To supply your house with maximum protection, some alarms have been configured with trespasser alarms too. It is powerfully hinted that fixing a search on the several kinds of fire alarms should be concluded so you will know which one would work best for you.

Other Fire Suppression Systems are capable to alert local fire authorities. If this is the case, verify if there are costs in making so. Once a fire suppression system as well as gadgets are set up, it is likewise a function of the procedure to regularly check them to determine they will do exactly as they are supposed to when fires happen. Establishing and overseeing fire suppression systems may signify a profound investment on your part but the disaster and casualty it forbids is well worth the costs.

Learning what to do in times of fire emergencies needs to be committed equal importance as well. Conditioning everyone involved about what should be done in a fire emergency is the proper thing to do. This is the cause why schools, hospitals and offices have fire practices. Fire drills may vary depending on the conditions. These admit the size of the house or office, the number of residents and the size of the fire.

Regular supervising and testing of the fire suppression system set up is part of the work. They will be unuseable if they fail to execute what they are intended to. When needed, it is well to organise with local fire officials.

Identity theft is one of the latest buzzword within our society in recent times. Identity theft refers to hiding one’s original identity and illegally misusing someone else’s identity. The person pretending to be someone else tries to make money at the cost of others and makes an abusive use of fake identity. The occurrence of this form of crime has increased partly due to the expansion in our communication network where people interact or know about only the existence of other person but have not met them person. Since one does not recognize the other person by physical appearance it is easier for identity thieves to step into others shoe and gather vital information for their own selfish motives. Identity theft can also occur from distance when someone may call or communicate with any other person just to gather some confidential information and then misuse the data provided.

Emergence of Internet apart from providing many facilities and being a blessing for people has also added a lot to this already existing crime.
With more and more business houses using Internet and computerized networks for their official workings increased amount of significant data are now found on web. Apart from the obtaining vital statistics of any corporate house or any important individual information, identity thieves do disguise to fool others and obtain some critical information like the credit card number or the social security number. Theft of credit card number and social security number can result in a great loss and trauma for the victim. As the culprit could use the credit card for withdrawing money from others account and also the crimes committed by the thief can be attributed to the victim since the thief was using a fake identity of other person.

This increasing form of crime has raised concern of many and people are now finding ways to combat such malicious actions that cause loss to innocent citizens. Apart from following the general instructions and relying on social systems to prevent such crimes certain individual effort is also required to protect one from identity thieves. One must be cautious not to provide any confidential information on Internet or any other public communication systems that can be accessed by anyone. Only after perfectly confirmed verification some information may be shared if it’s very urgent. Also one should not rely on anyone else without careful verification of the identity of the other person.

It’s a matter of great regret that such identity thieves many a times bank upon the sentiments of good citizens and fool them to make some easy money. Many such cases of false identity have been reported in recent past where people pretend to be someone in great need of help and when some virtuous person comes forward to help them they just breach others and make personal profits at the expense of others.

Recently when the world was struck by an unfortunate natural disaster of tsunami help from entire world poured in through all means. Government organizations of countries struck by this calamity had set websites to make people aware of the damages incurred and collect help from them if they could contribute to the well-being of victims. Following the genuine websites many fraudulent websites were also hosted at the same time to bank upon people’s sentiments for personal interests. Such incidents and many others make it a moral responsibility of every citizen to come forward and assist in curbing this social crime.

Mansi gupta writes about Identity theft. Learn more at www.thwartidentitythieves.com

A thorough approach to protect your home is to identify the types of protection equipment you will need and how this equipment can provide you with the most effective home protection at a cost that is most affordable without compromising you and your family’s safety. A multi layer of protection equipment is the best way to accomplish your protection goals.

The first line of protection should be wireless security cameras for your home. With the technology available today, wireless security cameras are not only affordable but easy to install thus giving you control of your budget but also of your time. Depending on your personal needs and goals for protection, wireless security cameras are available to you in a variety of models; Black and White wireless security cameras, night vision cameras, network ip cameras, infra-red cameras and many more. The point is that what ever your needs are for home security, wireless security cameras should be your first line of protection for the home. As your first line of defense, visible wireless security cameras will give the overt protection that tells a would be burglar/intruder that he should go down the street to an easier mark and leave your house alone.

The second line of protection should be motion sensors, like wireless security cameras, motion sensors are affordable and easy to install. What a wireless security camera might see a motion detector will feel. Now you have both sight and feel protection for your home. Motion sensors are portable and mobile so you can place them in all the unique areas in and around you home, giving you the ultimate in home protection and detection. As the wireless security cameras give you sight and overt protection, the motion sensors will add the layer of covert protection when needed.

The third line of protection should be alarm monitors. Alarm monitors like wireless security cameras and motion sensors are also quite affordable and easy to install. Alarm monitors can give you both overt and covet protection. By alerting you to a would be burglar/intruder and creating fear when the unpleasant alarm sound is activated. The alarm monitors available today have many of features to meet your individual protection needs.

In addition to the above protection equipment one needs for there home protection and security, please always make sure of the following:

•You always should have appropriate lighting both in the front, back and sides of your home
•Your home should always have solid and sturdy doors
•Always have you windows locked and secured
•Take careful measures that your home is secure when vacationing and always stop you paper delivery and have some one pick up your mail or have the Post Office hold until you return

Russell and Claudia Knight are writers and administrators for KnightsSecurity-Protection.com, which specializes in home security systems.

By now, many people (though unfortunately not everyone) have become aware of the tactics used by the so-called “419″ or “Nigerian” scammers. The victim is lured by the promise of a percentage of a huge fortune that has to be secretely transfered out of some African country. Variations of the scam include supposedly winning “internet lotteries” or having a relative that you never heard of die and allegedly leave you millions. In each case, the scammer tries to get the victim to send money for various “fees”.

Over the years, these scams, which were once easy to distinguish by their combination of purple prose and bad grammar, have become more sophisticated. One of the latest variations targets a specific professional group, namely interpreters.

Recently, there was a scam in which a bishop (sometimes a “prince”, or even a “prince bishop”) supposedly from Ghana wrote interpreters, asking for their services, as he was visiting the US, and his wife only spoke (insert language interpreter works with). This is how the scam then would proceed:

In Part 1 of Is Your Email Private; We covered the basics of most current email systems, including how they work and why they are not secure. We then started into the topic of encryption and provided a link to PGP (Pretty Good Privacy), considered by many to be the default standard for email encryption on the Internet.

In Part 2 of the series, we covered in more detail what PGP is and how to use it with your email client. Now we’ll move on to online email services.

Over the past couple of years a new kind of secure, online email tool has become available. Companies like HushMail.com, MuteMail.com, S-mail.com, CeritfiedMail.com, and StrongPost.net. offer products and services that combine strong encryption with easy to use web-based interfaces that allow anyone to send and receive secure email and attachments.

With these services, the encryption process is hidden from users so working with public / private key management is a snap. And since they are web based, they can be accessed from any computer, anywhere in the world that has an Internet connection and a browser.

So, how does it work? A user, when they first register for the secure service, are walked through a process that creates their key. Then after logging into the secure site, they compose secure emails just like any other email message. The content of the message is then encrypted with their key and transferred over the Internet via a secure connection. Just like the connections used on ecommerce sites. Here’s the twist… a message is secure as long as it is sent to another user of the system. This is how these companies can provide “end to end” security for your email. If you send a message to someone outside the system, it is sent in plain ASCII text and can be compromised as if you didn’t use a secure service at all.

However, this is just the flip side of PGP. With PGP you can send an encrypted email to a non-PGP user and the message is scrambled from “end to end” however, it will probably be trashed by the recipient since most users have no clue what to do with an encrypted message. At least with the online systems the recipient of your secure email can also sign up for the service and secure their communications without the learning curve of PGP.

One question you may be asking yourself is, “How secure is my key and my email if someone else controls the key creation process?” In other words, will the online service provider turn my email over to anyone in it’s unencrypted form? For most services, the key creation process relies on random data that you generate during the registration process. It is actually under you control and not the service provider.

As for turning over your email… Read the user agreements for each service provider. I personally like the way HushMail.com states their policy:

“What if my message is subpoenaed? Hush, like any company or individual, is legally bound to respond to court-issued subpoenas. However, because not even HushMail can access the encryption keys of individual users, in the case of a subpoena HushMail would only be able to provide the encrypted (coded) version of the transmitted email.”

In other words, yes they would have to turn over your email if required by law but it would be worthless since it would be in encrypted form. And since they don’t know your key, they can’t decrypt your messages.

PGP - vs. - Online Secure Email

PGP Pros - Local key control. Key size control. End to end encryption of email and attachments without going through 3rd party.

Cons - Steep learning curve. Email recipients confused with encrypted messages. Encryption not available from every computer.

Online Secure Email

Pros - Easy to use. Available from any computer with Internet connection, End to end encryption within the system. Secure file storage. (most providers offer this service.)

Cons - No key size control. No encrypted messages outside the system. (however, some providers do provide PGP integration - still need to learn PGP)

With the proliferation of the Internet, online bill paying, and the transfer of personal or financial data across the web, it just makes sense to do everything in your power to protect your privacy. Considering how easy to use and effective PGP or online encryption can be, these services just may be the answer you’re looking for to keep people out of your business - personal or otherwise.

All in all, for ease of use and easy access, I would suggest using one of the online secure email providers. Most offer basic service for free. Upgraded services and increased storage space can be had for a small monthly fee.

Michael Ameye has been developing web sites since 1995. He started writing about online privacy issues to answer questions from family, friends and co-workers.

He is also the chief editor of PSS Online, A Privacy, Safety and Security eZine dedicated to bringing important information to people in order to foster a safer more secure environment - online and off. Visit http://www.pssonline.info to subscribe.

Have you ever had to call Symantec or McAfee to ask them how to remove a virus? Or have you spent hours online trying to figure out how to remove spyware, only to find out that you did something wrong and now your computer won’t boot? I know your pain and frustration with just trying to use your computer without worry. As a computer technician at ARCH Computing Services, I know how hard it can be to pay someone to remove viruses and spyware. In fact that’s how I started in the computer business. I didn’t want to pay someone to fix the problems that I usually caused. A little voice in my head told me “I can build a computer, it doesn’t look that hard!”

Six years later, and a lot of dead computers in the beginning, have placed me where I am now. Let me tell you, it’s a full time job, even when I’m not at work. There is always some new technology being developed, and of course security is a never-ending battle with new viruses, trojans and spyware daily.

The internet is full of how-to information. You can learn everything from how to make the perfect loaf of bread, tune your car, or remove a virus. Making a loaf of bread seems to be easy, and it probably is. Even if you end up making flat bread or burnt bread, you’re not out a lot of money or in too much trouble. On the other hand, if you try to tune your car and break a spark plug or put the wires back incorrectly, it could end up costing you a lot more to fix it. All you wanted to do was save a few bucks and do it yourself. I’ve burnt bread and I’ve tried to fix my own car. The bread was thrown in the trash, the car I ended up taking to an auto mechanic and having it fixed right, which of course cost me much more than money, it cost me time.

You must be wondering what my point is. Yes, removing a virus or building a computer isn’t really that hard of a task…if you live and breathe computers like I do and others do (we affectionately call ourselves Geeks). Let’s take a look at the following scenario.

James is a real estate broker, and a damn good one. He makes his living helping people find the best buy for their dollar. As a result James keeps an extensive client list on his computer.
Somewhere along the line he manages to pick up a nasty Trojan. His anti-virus software caught it but was unable to clean it. He does some research online and finds a site that explains how to remove the Trojan. After following the instructions he reboots his PC only to find that his machine will not boot. In frustration he goes to another computer and looks up information on boot problems and finds out that the best thing he can do is reformat his hard drive and re-install his operating system from his backup. Oh, by the way, he hasn’t done a backup in over 6 months. By this time he has spent 4 or 5 hours trying to fix the problem, and now has the daunting task of re-installing his operating system without any backup…

The moral of the story here is that he literally wasted hours that he could have spent making a sale or helping a client purchase a house or land. Is the above scenario a little extreme? In some ways it is, but it doesn’t fall too far from the truth. Many of the clients I see with virus or spyware problems have tried everything they can to remove the problem, only to find out they spent hours with no results, and often come out worse than they were. By the time they come to see me they are frustrated and just want it fixed. Unfortunately, this does cost them money that they didn’t want to spend in the first place, and more importantly in this day and age, it costs them more time. Time is the great equalizer. If James had been able to make a 10% percent commission on a $200,000 house, spending the 65 to 100 dollars to clean his computer wouldn’t have seemed very significant.

Nine times out of ten an infected computer does require a re-format and re-install. I don’t say this lightly. It is usually much easier to backup and start over than spend hours trying to find every little piece of nastiness that was installed on your computer.

Eric Graves is a Senior Computer Technician at ARCH Computing Services. His computer knowledge and interpersonal skills have helped the company to grow at a remarkable rate. He’s currently completing his BS in IT Management, and will go on to complete his Master Degree in Information Systems Security. He is also currently the administrator for the Mutagenix forums, a Slackware based Live CD.

Ok, you’ve got a computer, and you get online. You surf your favorite sites, Sports, Shopping, Cowchip Tossing Blogs, and so on. Your kids download songs and IM their friends. But are you being tracked? Is your personal information stored safe on your computer or is it being mined to a geeky looking guy sitting in the dark half a continent away? Do you know for sure you are secure? Many people don’t.

They take it for granted that their service provider is watching over them.
If there is one thing I can’t stress enough, it’s always read the fine print before
You hit the download button.
A survey I read about a year ago stated that
Less than 7 % read the info posted on the Download windows. Some Spyware will
Download itself without even you knowing it.

And then how about the Link Hijackings? You go to your Bank URL, but you don’t
Notice that it’s been changed slightly. The Login and Password you enter now is in
The hands of a person who likes to shop!

There are the less dangerous Pop-ups. They are annoying sure, but sometimes it
Can get so bad you can’t click them closed fast enough to even close out your browser.

Spyware can slow your computer to a crawl, taking minutes to open a site. It can
Log your keystrokes, mine your data, reboot your computer, even cause it to not boot up.

You’ve got to be safe people!

The Internet is a wonderful place.
It’s come a long way and it’s got a long way to go still, enjoy it.

About the Author:
Doug Woodall
SpywareBiz

Doug Woodall has a website at http://www.spywarebiz.com. There he provides free information and recommended products to combat Spyware.

He also runs the SpywareBiz Blog at http://learningfolder.com/Blogs/297/

He is a member of the IWA (International Webmasters Association)

Doug can be reached at spywarebiz@comcast.net

Article edited for proper content by Wendy McCallum

Is your computer running slower than it should be? Do you find that de-fragmentation and extra memory doesn’t help? Do you think it could be a virus? What do you do in situations like these? I suppose you’d run your antivirus software. But what happens when the problem still remains even after you’ve run your antivirus software? In situations like these, many people would turn to technical support. Does this situation sound familiar?

Every day, there are thousands of Internet users who suffer from the same problem. This problem is caused by nasty infectious software called spyware. Over 10% of calls made to technical support relate to spyware problems. According to Microsoft, 50% of all windows based problems are caused by trojans, viruses and spyware. http://www.spywarelive.com has relevant information on combating spyware and its sources.

Adware, Malware, Trojans and Keyloggers all fall under the umbrella name of spyware. Many times these programs are automatically installed on your computer without intervention. Depending on which program is infecting your computer, many unwanted actions take place. Some of the things which could occur as a result of having spyware on your computer are: Settings may change Your computer can be monitored remotely Your computer can be controlled remotely Your actions can be recorded Advertisements can be displayed on your desktop

The most prominent spyware programs are:

Adware: This type of program download all sorts of advertisements to your computer and displays them whilst you surf the Internet. Key Loggers: This program records all your movements and actions on your PC and reports directly to the hacker. Dialers: A dialer is a program which he uses your phone line to dial premium rate numbers. Browser Hijacker: These programs change your browser settings so your start page and search preferences are redirected elsewhere.

What is the difference between spyware and a virus?

A virus is a file or program which can cause actual harm or damage to your computer. It can even cause problems with your computer hardware. Spyware will not damage your computer but it is a pain and nuisance to have running in your processes. Spyware is intended to watch over or control you and your system. Since spyware and viruses are two different programs, antivirus software will not remove a spyware program. Thankfully, companies which make antivirus programs are now integrating anti-spyware components within their software.

How do you get spyware on your computer in the first place?

There are several ways this may happen. You may have elected to allow browser plug-ins to be installed automatically. Sometimes these contain spyware. Some web sites install spyware whilst you your on their web page. Over 80% of these types of websites are porn related. If you download or install games or pictures from unscrupulous websites, you’re most likely to be infected with spyware. The worst type of spyware is one which tells you that it will eliminate infections from your computer but if you click on the ad, it will install spyware instead.

What can you do about it? Use the Firefox browser. This will minimize the chances of being infected. Be wary of sites you visit and download items from. Keep your windows up to date. Install anti-spyware software. Make sure your firewall updates itself.

Look out for tell-tale signs of spyware infection, such as slow responses, ads popping up, extra icons in your system tray and unrecognised items in your task manager. If you notice anything unusual do a full scan with recommended software. Make sure your protection isn’t flawed.