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In the office, it is imperative that a fire suppression plan be carried through. It is without a doubt that your business and assets, including your employees should be held preserved. Fire prevention should be the basic and foremost priority. . It is not sufficient to have installed fire suppression equipments. A fire prevention system as well as an action program are both required to maximise security.

Getting together a group whose role is to fix a thorough FM200 Fire Suppression action program is the first step to do. Then, they can begin expecting the severest scenarios possible. When these scenarios have been identified, they identify and measure the areas in the workplace where a fire can most likely break out. Discovering where the fire can spread to the entire building most promptly and can inflict the severest impairment should also be done. Naming where the fire can present the severest threat to everybody should be done too. Conforming the action plan to accommodate it to the demands of the office should be next. For multi-storey buildings, it is hinted that distinct plans be produced for the several areas and levels so maximum safety is secured. We must think that some parts of the building may be more inclined to fires than others.

No matter how small, each individual should have a duty since fire hazards are everybody’s trouble. Elements in the building such as electronic or electrical machines, areas that require deliver supplemental danger, areas that may need more security, environmental conditions and combustible fluids should also be accounted for.

Taken in the fire emergency program are:

Fire reporting means - Your action program must handle how employees will be informed in an emergency and how to report emergencies. If relevant, unique demands for disabled or impaired employees should be covered.
Evacuation routines - Supplemental risk, injury and confusion is the result of confused evacuation plans and routines.
Escape roads and designations - Specifying evacuation areas, escape routes and rendering floor plans are essential.
Relevant contact information of staff should be made available.
Listing depicting and explaining the obligations and responsibilities of key personnel during a fire suppression
Operating routines for fire extinguishers, emergency equipment and shutting down crucial operations should be made available.
Performance of rescue and medical duties by key workers
Satisfactory training for accountability and evacuation routines, basic aid and emergency reaction routines

Fire Suppression Systems are meant to be the initial line of defensive measure in preserving the lives of those within edifices and houses. Functioning unitedly in an directed network, their intent is to discover flame and smoke when they are present. How the warning devices themselves are installed is equally serious. To amply maximise the effectivity of a Fire Suppressoin System, professional aid must be pursued by employing a certified engineer. He or she will draw out a all-encompassing design.

A Fire Suppression Systems holds into consideration the plan of the building admitting the number of stories, heat references, and exits. It also studies the level of complexness necessary for each certain building. For instance, a single family home will require a far less complex flame Suppression System than a multi-leveled sporting arena. In a huge common building, supplemental flame Refuge characteristics will be needed such as ceiling shower systems and detailed communicating devices that are not required on private properties.

While designing the project, the engineer and flame technicians will analyze the layout of the place and discover where fire extinguishers should be strategically situated in order to maximize the Refuge execution measures. When finished, a sketch of the project will exhibit proposed exits, smoke and fire alarms and other installations that are needed to enforce the plan.

Naturally, in the instance of a larger public building, the engineer and Fire Suppression technicians will work in tandem with accredited electricians who will handle the wiring and guarantee that the installation is up to code. For numerous examples for both personal and public buildings, their fire Suppression Systems will be immediately joined to the flame officials bureau. This secures that Help is on the way as quickly as manageable.

When finished decently by experienced and informed professionals, a flame Suppression System will be a carefully developed program that will in the end safeguard a building and the people within it.

It seems that not a week goes by without some headline racing across our TVs about internet fraud or theft. It’s never going to stop, but one of the best ways to protect ourselves from this modern menace is to develop and use effective passwords on all financially sensitive websites.

Numerous articles have been written addressing this issue, and many offer similar, and good, advice:

• Don’t choose a word found in the dictionary
• Add one or more numbers
• Use one or more capital letters
• Make it at least eight characters
• Add a symbol.

A password utilizing this criteria might look something like this: G8iwn2*B. Although this is a strong password, has no meaning and is therefore difficult to remember. So the question arises: how do we utilize the above criteria while creating something memorable and difficult to crack?

One of the interesting things about the English language is that a single sound can be spelled many ways. Take the long E sound, for example, as in see. It can be spelled e, ee, ea, ey, ei, i, ie. Or how about the SH sound, as in sheet. Try sh, s, ti, ci, si, ch. Here is how to incorporate this apparent flaw of English to create strong and memorable passwords.

First, choose a meaningful name, the shorter the better. Let’s say your maternal grandmother’s maiden name was Cox. We are going to take the letters of her name and spell them phonetically. C becomes See. O becomes Oh. X becomes Ex. So C-O-X becomes SeeOhEx. Do you see it? Say it out loud if you have having trouble.

If she was born in 1918, we can incorporate those numbers like this: 1See9Oh1Ex8. Perhaps your grandmother was rich, so we’ll add a dollar sign: 1See9Oh1Ex8$.

Another security tip is to change passwords periodically. Because the same sound can often be spelled several ways, the password above can morph to: 19SeaOaEks$18. Can you still see the C-O-X?

So now we have a password that:

• is not a word found in the dictionary
• uses more than number
• incorporates more than one capital letter
• is more than eight characters
• has a symbol
• and is meaningful!

More Tips For Success:

• Once you have formulated a possible password, open your word processing program and practice typing it. Your goal is for it to flow smoothly off your fingers so you no longer need to think about it.
• Spend time trying to get a mental picture of what your password looks like. Write it down and study it to help cement the image into your memory. Be sure to shred the paper later.
• Make sure you can easily sound out the phonetic parts and that the phonetic parts make sense to you.
• When entering passwords online, distinguish between high security sites and low security sites. Your online subscription to Amateur Boating Today does not require a complex password. Don’t use one for sites don’t need it.
• For a higher level of security, don’t use obvious words, such as your favorite pet, your child’s name, or your first name.
• Good word choices include short words from your family’s past. Some examples: your father’s first car (Ford becomes EfOhArDee); the name of the city where your cousin was born (Dover becomes DeOhVeEeAr); the first name of your mother’s best friend in high school (Gayle becomes JeeAyWyElEe). Choose something that still has meaning for you and is not so obscure that, after setting it up on a site, you later scratch your head and have to call tech-support. Don’t forget to add a significant number and symbol.
• If you have trouble with the phonetics of a particular word, either chose an easier word, or browse through a dictionary to help you find alternate spellings for particular sounds.

Good luck and happy passwording!

About the Author:

Jennifer A. Thieme, owner of Solid Rock Accounting Services, is a Certified QuickBooks Advisor and a Registered Tax Preparer. She has been in the bookkeeping and tax field for nine years. She considers the diagnosis and resolution of accounting-related problems her specialty. Her articles have appeard in the Intuit ProConnection Newsletter. Contact her via http://www.jenniferthieme.com with your accounting related questions.

Well, this is an article I never thought I would have to write. Computer ownership was just not something I thought people would get confused over but, after overhearing a number of conversations last week from my co-workers, I realized that quite a few people just don’t know how cut and dry this topic is.

Here’s the scoop. Over the last few weeks the company I work for has been going through a massive systems upgrade. And as part of that roll out, they upgraded everyone’s computer with new versions of software via the network. Announcements were made everyday that the changes were coming and to save everything that you didn’t want to lose.

This upgrade, like I said before, was massive. In some cases the software was completely changed over to a new package that the end user had not seen before. There were also security upgrades that allow for remote uploads of patches and system inventories of computers. In short, about the only thing that was the same was the physical computer itself and the files we had saved on our hard drives.

Access levels were changed, passwords were changed, unauthorized software and any related files were deleted, desktop options were locked, Internet access was throttled down (and a content proxy server brought online) and a whole host of other changes implemented. (IMHO, it was about time. The network was slow and the system about 5 years out of date. Here’s kudos to one company trying to make it easier for it’s employees to do their jobs…)

Boy, the wailing and gnashing of teeth I heard around the office would have made an IRS agent proud! Comments like, “Who said they could upgrade my computer” or “I didn’t give them permission to access my computer” were common. I was floored!

Ok, I’m going to clear this issue up in short order (and I apologize for the “YELLING” below…)

Unless you purchased the computer you work on or you made a deal with your boss or you work for yourself, IT’S NOT YOUR COMPUTER! That’s right. Take a deep breath and say the following with me, It’s not my computer… It’s not my computer… It’s not my computer…

Write that phrase out on a sticky note and stick it to the monitor. Write it in ink on the back of your hand or set up a daily pop up reminder. Do something, anything you need to do to remember that the computer you do work on for your boss does NOT belong to you. This will save you a ton of grief in the future. Why? Well it’s about privacy - your privacy.

Your employer has the right to do anything they want to the computers they have bought with their own money and connected to their network.

And if you connect a computer you do own to their network, they also have rights pertaining to the intellectual property that may be generated by or stored on your machine.

So what does this mean to you? Well, for starters, don’t load anything on the computer that you don’t want to be made public. Also, don’t use company assets for personal stuff. In other words, don’t load any banking software on the machine and balance your checkbook at work. You may lose your data files or you may even run the risk of having your bank balance exposed to the public. Or if you have any “questionable” surfing habits, surf at home. Most company networks today record and store everything, including all the places you go to on the Internet.

Want to see a good example of this? Just recently, a link was posted on the Internet that allowed anyone to go search through the complete email files of everyone from Enron. Enron, since they owned all the email that goes through their servers, decided that it was too much trouble to isolate individual emails for the SEC (that’s the Securities and Exchange Commission, a GOVERNMENT agency. The IRS Agent crack above may not be a joke to some…) so they released ALL the emails stored or archived on their system.

Every email, whether it pertained to company business, the hemorrhoid problems of the guy in HR or how many times someone slept with someone else during lunch breaks is now out there for the whole world to see. (I don’t know about you but that guy in HR better go see the doctor quick!)

I bet you are thinking that this kind of thing will never happen to you. Right, just wait. Employers are monitoring you at every turn. And if you don’t watch out, you could get fired over some email you sent to your Great Aunt Sophie about your dog’s coming surgery or a picture that got downloaded to your hard drive from some web page you visited.

Scary, right? You bet it is.

Ok, now that I have gotten my point across, lets take a more realistic look. Most employers don’t have some dude sitting in a closet somewhere pouring over every email sent through the system or looking at every file on every employee’s computer. The sheer number of people this would take is daunting.

However, what they usually do is use automated tools to look for patterns of abuse. Like multiple hits on an adult Internet site from the same user. They may scrub emails to look for offensive words, etc. Then once a pattern is identified, the employee is contacted and warned to stop. Rarely is someone fired straight out.

In today’s world of increased scrutiny, it behooves you to play it straight with the computer at work. Leave the personal stuff at home. Who knows, you may be surprised by the increase in your productivity. At the very least, you won’t have to worry over some person reading about your hemorrhoids on the Internet.

It’s something to think about.

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. Visit http://www.canyourspam.com to see his latest work.

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.

When spyware invades a computer system it monitors, records and sends out to intruders information on your computer usage and internet habits and it can possibly detect private banking and security information which could result in identity theft. Computers are easily infected with spyware while users click around online or download freeware.

The Norton Internet Security Professional software is one of the top rated computer security tools for its ability to detect and fix viruses, Trojan Horses, spyware, joke programs and other malicious codes that can end up in security risks. The capabilities of all types of spyware are numerous, ranging from annoying consequences such as pop up to detrimental occurrences such as identity theft and complete computer failure.

Using the Norton security tool you can also screen incoming emails so as to avoid any that are linked with malicious viruses. However well the Norton Security Professional tool works, it is unlikely the program will catch all threats, especially spyware because of its widespread possibilities.

To more thoroughly guard yourself and your computer from spyware threats, use more than one spyware security tool, such as Ad-Aware by LavaSoft or Spybot search and destroy. Both of these programs are free for download and they work by scanning specifically for known and defined spyware threats. Using more than one internet security tool is necessary for catching both virus and spyware threats.

Mitch Johnson is a successful freelance author that writes regularly for http://www.spyware-removal-made-easy.com/, a site that focuses exclusively on spyware removal software, as well as tips on how to prevent spyware from popping up on your computer. This site articles on has spyware guard, http://www.spyware-removal-made-easy.com/spyware_guard.htm as well as spyware scanner, http://www.spyware-removal-made-easy.com/spyware_scanner.htm

Before authentication methods can be discussed, authentication should be defined. So basically we are deciding whether someone or something is, who or what it is declared to be.

In both private situations and in public Internet usage, authentication is commonly done through the use of logon passwords. Recognition and remembrance of the password is assumed to guarantee that the user is authentic. The Achilles’ heel in this system is that transaction passwords can often be stolen, accidentally revealed, or forgotten.

For this reason, Internet business and many other transactions require a sturdier authentication approach. The use of digital certificates issued and verified by a Certificate Authority (CA) as part of a public key infrastructure may become the norm in processing authentication on the Internet.

There are three methods by which a human can authenticate themselves:

1. Something about the user is recognized as unique

2. Something the user possesses is unique

3. Something the user knows (a password or PIN) is unique

Also, a combination of methods is used, e.g., a bank card and a PIN, in which case the term “two-factor authentication” can be used.

In the law enforcement world, fingerprints have been used as the most authoritative method of authentication, but recent ourt cases have doubted their reliability (as have retinal and fingerprint scans).

In the computer environment, cryptographic methods have been developed which are currently very reliable if the user’s key has not been compromised.

There are two ways of restricting access to online documents: either by the browser hostname, or by asking for a username and password. Using the browser hostname can restrict the use of documents within a company or group of individuals. However if the people who are allowed to access the documents are in different locations, or the server administrator needs to be able to control access on an individual basis, it is possible to require a username and password before being allowed access to a document. This is called user authentication.

Configuring user authentication requires creating a file containing the usernames and passwords and then telling the server what sectors are to be protected and which users are allowed (after entering a valid password) to access them.

The directives to create the protected area can be placed in an .htaccess file in the directory concerned, or in a section in the access.conf file.

To allow a directory to be restricted within an .htaccess file, one must verify that the access.conf file allows user authentication to be set up in an .htaccess file. This is controlled by the AuthConfig override. The access.conf file should include AllowOverride AuthConfig to allow the authentication directives to be used in an .htaccess file.

To restrict a directory to any user listed in the users file just created, one can create an .htaccess file containing:

AuthName “restricted stuff”

AuthType Basic

AuthUserFile /usr/local/etc/httpd/users

require valid-user

These are but a few online authentication methods because, unfortunately, people still do not trust the Worldwide Web for the safety of their money transactions. With increased trust in the safety of online processing comes benefits for the business owner which include greater profitability and improved business/customer relationships. And benefits for the consumer with more convenient bill payment processing and account access.

Reggie Andersen is a home business office advocate. He recommends persistence and a healthy work environment including a strict schedule, good ethics, fast bandwidth Bandwidth Resources and verifiable authentication methods (For more authentication resources, see: Authentication Methods)

Business on the internet is getting down right shameless. This week, my email box was literally filled with hype, overly inflated promises, phish mail, scams, ezines I did not order, and about 14 viagra gimmicks. This makes you wonder what your going to get if you click in the wrong place. What’s worse is you may get the same thing several times from different people.

Did you know that there is software on the internet that can find duplicates of your personal work? If you didn’t, then believe me, eventually you will own it. Plagiarism is becoming quite popular on the internet these days. You would think that people have used up all the original ideals.

Every once in a while I’ll stumble onto a site that I’ve seen before. The names are changed and the scenery may have changed a little. What is bad is some of the sites don’t even do a good job at covering up the fact that they copied another persons work.

At the bottom of most web sites you may see copy right information. This is becoming quite popular. However, it only slows people down. It doesn’t appear to stop them. That should not be your only worry.

It was once stated to me that if it’s on the web, it’s yours for the taking. This is the most ridiculous statement I’ve ever heard. The simple fact that someone can copy and paste doesn’t make it right. Another problem is people steeling from you. That may be a hard word but it’s the truth.

Have you seen affiliate sites before? Most all the affiliates have a unique “url” that is suppose to identify them as being the one whom gets the commission. The problem is, most people that has any experience what so ever can change the “url” and steel your commission.

It doesn’t stop there. Ebooks used to have value. Well some do. I’ve actually witnessed several ebooks selling on Ebay for 99 cents that have copy rights. Is it illegal for me to buy them? I would say not. I did not break the law. Should I turn in the seller? I have done this before.

You may be wondering if everything on the internet is a scam. I assure you that there are legitimate companies out there in cyberspace that have the my up most respect. I have also wondered if Bill Gates was behind some of these viruses. You know you are running a great risk if you don’t buy software to take care of these.

Well, lets evaluate. If you want to start a business, the first thing you should do is forget about the word “FREE”. Just to get online, you’ll definitely need virus detector software. You’ll also need some kind of spy ware killing software. Let’s not stop there. If you plan on stopping people from stealing from you, you’ll need that software that will catch plagiarizers. You’ll also want to spend the money to copy right your stuff. Just putting the words on the bottom of a page doesn’t mean it’s copy right does it?

If you plan on trading links, you want to get some software that will do a check to see if the your link partner didn’t sucker you. It does the partner a bit more justice to have links to him and not away from him.

It doesn’t stop there though. You still need your site “Secure”. If you don’t know what that is, chances are, you’ll eventually figure out why some people are not doing business with you. I witnessed some site telling you that you are on a secure site, but when you look at the “http” there is a missing “S” on the end which assures you that it’s secure.

Don’t forget to encrypt your web site. Whoops, did I mention this also costs money? It may not if you are a programmer. However, if your not careful, there are other programmers that love a challenge of figuring out how to unscramble web sites?

Have you heard of “scanners” before? I’m not talking about those “scanners” at the drug store, super mart of police station. I talking about those scanners that act like spiders on the web. Those scanners are looking for security leaks or holes in your personal computer. You do have a firewall don’t you?

People still insist on telling others that it doesn’t take any money on the internet to start a business. All of this is just for your own protection. You haven’t even started your business yet.

There is some good news. I am sure you can find a “host” that will give you a secure site with all the bells and whistles. I have not been that lucky.

Add it all up and tell me what it’ll cost to start a business on the internet. You are paying for an Independent Service Provider per month aren’t you?

Okay, you can get virus software that will take care of the spy ware, the worms, the security leaks and the viruses. You can get a host real reasonable that will take care of your encryption needs and security. You can also get link checkers, payment processors, plagiarize finders, and copy cat software. You can even get some Free email services. The bottom line is it’ll cost you some money.

Don’t forget to get an email blocker. Spam will never stop in my opinion.

This is just my opinion. Anything I’ve said here is for your own entertainment. I know people getting their identities stolen because they did not protect themselves. I get phish email all the time trying to trick me into giving my passwords. If you are a complete newbie, it may be best to hire a guru. At least when they rip you off, you’ll have someone other than yourself to blame.

Did you know that most Gurus don’t tell you about these dangers?

Randall Stafford
http://www.randallsquare.com

Copyright 2005 RS Marketing News

Randall Stafford usually writes about health issues, fitness, and things that deal with people. After hearing so many times that doing business on the internet costs virtually nothing, he decided to give his opinion. Are the best things in life FREE?

You are welcome to reprint this is you leave this resource box and leave all contents the same.
http://www.randallsquare.com

The number of burglaries and property violations are continuously increasing so an alarm monitoring system may be a perfect solution to prevent thefts. Recent research has proven that owning a home security system makes you 3 or 4 times less likely to be burglarized. Who knows, maybe acquiring a home alarm system may even save your life! Many times thieves and burglars prefer robbing a house without a home alarm system than a house that has one installed.

What can a home security system do? Well it can monitor a house 24 hours a day, and if something unusual occurs, it sends an alarm signal through the phone line. After the signal is received, a phone call is made to your house to see if everything is all right, and if no one answers or the incorrect password is provided then the local police is alarmed.
Setting a home alarm system up takes only one hour, and then it will work for months. It should be tested periodically however in order to make sure everything works just fine. In case a power failure occurs, the home security systems are equipped with a battery that can keep them running for 24 hours.

If you decide to purchase a home alarm system you should also follow some simple security rules. If you do so you can be sure that the chances that your house becomes the ‘victim’ of a burglary will be greatly reduced.

First of all you should always secure your windows and doors, because these are the places through which burglars enter the house. Their locks must be strong.
Also, you should try not to keep things that may attract burglars outside, in order not to turn your house into a target.
It would be advised to try to let people know that you own a home alarm system.

Furthermore, there are some other small things that can keep burglars away - always have outside lights turned on, so that burglars can’t use darkness to hide, get a guard dog to watch over your yard, and talk to a neighbor to watch over your house while you are away.

But the home security system remains the best method to keep burglars away. It is a small investment that protects all the investments inside the house.

When Jimmy discovered plans for a row of executive townhouses on his street, he wondered if his new neighbors would attract burglars to the neighborhood.

So Jimmy installed a surveillance camera that calls the police department during break-ins. Staring at the sensors and the controls, he wondered if it was enough.

He mounted his surveillance camera facing his front door and his bay window and set it to capture an image every fifteen seconds.

Months later, Jimmy took his family to the movies. They drove right past the construction site, where a backhoe had severed a fiber optic cable. Jimmy didn’t know it then, but his entire neighborhood had lost their phone service!

Meanwhile, a plain white van parked in front of Jimmy’s house.

Three men wearing hooded sweatshirts sauntered up the lawn. One produced a crow bar from his sleeve and smashed right through that beautiful bay window.

Before Jimmy’s neighbors heard the alarm bells, those felons had vanished. With no landlines, the alarm system could not contact ANYONE.

Giggles turned to gasps inside Jimmy’s station wagon when they pulled up to their home behind two police cars. Never losing his cool, Jimmy led the detectives to his television, it had been too heavy for the thieves to snatch’and activated the remote control
for his surveillance camera.

Even with no lights on, the infrared lens captured everything: the broken window, the first thief climbing in and opening the front door for his companions… everything.

It even captured all three of them, taking off their hoods, staring DIRECTLY into that lens.

Not only did the cops know exactly who they were dealing with, but the surveillance camera Jimmy was using put a time stamp on each frame. Now the investigators knew exactly WHEN the crooks made off with Jimmy’s things.

That date stamp came in handy the next day, when Jimmy’s insurance adjuster looked at the tape Jimmy made by connecting the surveillance device to a VCR. The agent always hated tracking down receipts and evidence for homeowners’ insurance cases. This time, he could see who was aking what items and when.

Jimmy got even more good news that week. One of the ringleader’s so-called friends saw his picture on the evening news. That friend wanted the small reward from the neighborhood watch association, and he told police where to find the burglars.

Even the fanciest lawyer could not talk his way around that powerful image of the crooks, with their hands on Jimmy’s things, stamped with a time and a date for everyone to see.

Jimmy’s insurance company fixed the window and replaced all of the stolen goods.

This all goes to prove that having an effective surveillance camera can be usefull in recovering stolen personal property.

Glenn Freiboth is a writer for Self Defense news and lives in Illinois.
Self Defense and Surveillance products can be found at http://www.selfdefensegearco.com