PathMaker Group Blog

In the Information Systems industry, as in other related industries, the challenge in deploying the latest solutions is timing.  In the software industry, the time that it takes to get a product, solution and new deployments is a key factor for the benefits they offer.

In delivering new software products, there is the expression you have to shoot the programmer and ship the product.  Now no one takes this literally, but the message is the product development cycle could go on forever as new functions are added along the way.  However, if the product never reaches the intended user, all is for naught.

The same can be said for software projects and the deployment of the latest products that could benefit their intended users.  Below are some ways learned to reduce project cycle time for their delivery.

Planning is very significant.  One of the challenges during the planning cycle is when everyone wants to get started with the project and is looking for early tangible results.  Breaking down the project into milestones and phases will give everyone a better understanding of the progress with visible stages.

Gathering information for requirements is very time consuming, especially in organizations where everyone is busy with their current activities and are just trying to get through each day.  The time to plan for making things better for them in the long haul doesn’t seem important when the daily production is at risk.  However, to make life better for them does require some sacrifice on their part.  The key point here is with time allocation and personal scheduling both can be accomplished.  The best example where I first saw of this was with a NASA Section Chief at JSC in Houston.  He would hold many meetings daily and keep them to a tight schedule.  I was impressed when he had an appointment with me and was in a high level meeting at the time.  He left it to keep his appointment with me.  I suggested that we reschedule because of his other meeting and he refused because he let me know that his meeting with me was just as important, although I knew it wasn’t.  This has impressed me for all these years.  He knew how to manage his time for maximum effectiveness.  Needless to say, when I met with him I was strait to the point and valued his time as well.  The lesson learned is that scheduling time with key stakeholders for their input is necessary and should be productive while being sensitive to their schedule.

Documenting the requirements of the project is the best way to have an understanding of what is expected from the project.  A solid design document is an important factor as to what will be delivered in the project.

Keeping a tight delivery schedule for the hardware, OS, middleware and software applications are important.  These are often overlooked items that add undue time to a project.

These are a few key success factors that I’ve seen to shorting the time for software delivery.

For more information on what we do at Pathmaker Group, please contact us at (818) 704-3644.

Many people who use email think that their true identity and location are anonymous. Hidden behind their supposed “cloak of anonymity,” these people may sometimes lash out at their employers, colleagues, political adversaries, ex-lovers, and so on. Thankfully, there are a number of identity management services that can help to reveal the identity of the person who sent you a threatening message.

If you receive an email that is of a threatening or illegal nature, it’s not difficult to initiate an enquiry leading directly to the person involved for appropriate actions by authorities. Here is a look at how the specialists at PathMaker Group can handle your situation:

Forensic Expertise

The key to finding out who is responsible for sending a threatening message is the technical knowledge that incident response experts have about the inner workings of electronic mail. By examining the Internet Headers of a particular email, our incident response experts can identify the exact source of the message.

Email Tracing

By sending a special forensic email to the address listed on the threatening message, our incident response experts are able to reveal where it was opened and details about the IP address of the person reading the forensic email. All we need is the actual threating email message or access to the server that received the message and our incident response experts can trace the source within a very short time.

Incident Resolution

Once the source of the email is revealed, it is very easy for you to obtain the material evidence necessary to obtain a restraining order against the person or persons involved. Reports of email abuse such as spam and email-borne viruses can even be directed to the sender’s Internet service provider (ISP) for appropriate actions by the authorities.

PathMaker Group’s certified incident response experts have traced hundreds of emails back to their original sources for many concerned clients, and we are ready to help you as well. As the premier security and identity management firm in the greater Dallasarea, PathMaker Group can put an end to threatening or abusive emails once and for all. For more information on our incident response services, contact us online or dial (817) 704-3644.

It’s estimated that nearly one-third of the global population uses the internet on a regular basis. It’s no surprise, then, that businesses of all sizes are starting to rely more heavily on their websites for marketing, sales, client services, and more. Unfortunately, many of these websites pose considerable security risks for the businesses who operate them.

As a premier security and identity management firm in the Dallas area, PathMaker Group is intimately familiar with the consequences of not maintaining a secure website—consequences that can be avoided by utilizing our proven security and identity management solutions. Some of the risks of not maintaining a secure website include:

• Identity Theft
  Unsecured websites are ideal targets for hackers and cyber-criminals looking to steal valuable customer information. Once they obtain your customer’s information, it is very easy for them to commit identity fraud. Besides the devastating consequences this can have for your customers, it can also be extremely damaging for your company’s reputation. To ensure that your website is secure from such attacks, contact the security and identity management professionals at PathMaker Group.
•  Money Theft
  If your website offers customers the opportunity to make a purchase online with their credit or debit cards, then it’s crucial that you take the necessary steps to ensure that your website is secure. In addition to stealing your customers’ account information, experienced hackers can actually rewrite your website’s code to route electronic transactions to their own account. It may sound like something out of a Hollywood movie, but it’s actually very possible—especially if your website is not properly secured.
•  Information Theft
  If you host your website on the same server that you use to store valuable and highly sensitive information (emails, electronic blueprints, industry forecasts, etc.) then the importance of securing your website cannot be understated. When a hacker accesses your website, he or she may also have access to information that you would rather not be made public, especially when such leaked information may jeopardize your company’s financial success.

If the security of your website is in question, contact PathMaker Group to learn about our affordable lineup of security solutions. For more information, contact us online or call (817) 704-3644.

Its audit time and you’re responsible for recertifying approximately 75 Active Directory Groups and each group has a membership of about 10 to 30 people.  An email needs to be sent to every manager for them to confirm the person still needs to be a member of the group.  You have to provide information to the Auditors to confirm that each person in each of these groups has been verified.  Before you can send out the verification requests to the managers you have to confirm each Active Directory Account has the correct person contact information and manager information.  All this has to be done in the next 30 days.

What are you going to do?  Book an early tee time!

How is this possible?

You were smart enough to use IBM Tivoli Identity Manager (ITIM) powered by the PathMaker Group to manage your systems.  ITIM has built in functionality that can be configured to automatically handle your recertification and audit requirements.  PathMaker Group has the knowledge of ITIM to make it work like a well-oiled machine.  Here are some of the specifics:

1. The Active Directory Account contains all the correct person information due to a feed from HR that propagates the person and manager information to Active Directory.
2. Each Active Directory Group can be defined in ITIM as an ‘Access’.
3. Using Out of the Box Recertification Policies, a workflow can be configured to assign the person’s manager an activity for them to recertify the Active Directory Group or Access.  If the manager fails to recertify the Access, the approval can be escalated to the Manager’s Manager or automatically remove the Group.   Need multiple approvals?  No Problem.  The configuration possibilities are endless.
4. The Recertification Policy can be scheduled to run as a calendar event to execute once or multiple times a year.
5. The entire Recertification process is available for Audit Reporting.  The auditor has a configured ITIM view and has the ability to search information and generate their own reports.

It’s audit time and with IBM Tivoli Identity Manager and PathMaker Group on your side you can lean back and put your feet up.

Mark Adamson

IBM Certified Deployment Professional – Tivoli Identity Manager V4.6 / V5.0 / V5.1

Wishing you a safe and happy 2012! If you need help with Security or Identity Management in 2012, give us a call at 817-704-3644 and we’ll get you on the right path in 2012!