Author: Brian

Returned Peace Corps Volunteer, Systems Engineer, Papa, and eccentric individual.

I am constantly conflicted with building my LinkedIn and online persona, and my desire for privacy and anonymity.

Corporate Owned Personally-Enabled (COPE)

While the Company Owned Personally-Enabled (COPE) route is a bit different from roads you have traveled before, IT departments experience with managing endpoints, balancing user needs and security isn’t an unfamiliar landscape. The elements of a COPE strategy are very similar to IT strategies build on over the last two decades: Company provided equipment (desktops, laptops) Centrally managed technology (Active Directory, LDAP, A/V, SCCM, etc.) Application allowlisting (you don’t allow people to install whatever application they want, do you?) Totally controlled and secure endpoint (as much as time and technology allow) The conversation surrounding BYOD vs. COPE continues because of the relative immaturity of devices designed for a mobile workforce compared to the twenty years of continuous improvements for desktops in an enterprise. (Let’s exclude RIM and the Blackberry, a mature enterprise device, which has just lost its appeal.) The current set of popular devices, Androids, iOS, and Windows Phones lack consistent APIs that business tools can take advantage of. This is only compounded by companies confronting a move to cloud services, and which flavor of cloud to chose from. If a company is going to provide a device, or choice of devices (CYOD) these devices have to be centrally managed. The company will installed management apps and change the settings to what best suits them. Mobility is an Insider threat.

 

http://searchconsumerization.techtarget.com/feature/BYOD-vs-COPE-Why-corporate-device-ownership-could-make-a-comeback

I keep forgetting all that other stuff

Time is just flying by here at the baby ranch. We are starting to settle in to a nightly routine which is probably going to be helpful for all involved. It’s slow going but the little guy knows what’s about to happen, and that seems like it gives him a more peaceful rest for the first part of the night. I’m quite lucky in that my wife takes the absolute bulk of the responsibility overnight so I can continue to function like a human being at work.

The previous paragraph described all that has been happening lately. I definitely anticipated getting very little done outside baby raising and work. What I didn’t anticipate was the fact that I would continually be in a state of forgetting to do something that doesn’t include baby or work. The bills are paid, my wife makes sure I have food and water, so the necessities are in. What was it I was supposed to buy on Amazon again? Didn’t I have thing that I was supposed to do today?

There’s been two small threads that keep popping up more and more. Well possibly three or four. Any spare brain power I have on the weekends gets sucked up pretty quick trying to work with Elderhaven.org on securing a fantastic grant that would allow them to offer some really neat additions for their elderly residents. I really hope that goes through, I’m less involved than I originally thought I would be, but the management at Elderhaven is quite aware that I’m booked solid for the next 25 years.

Dang… what was the second thing? Oh yes… computer security. I’ve been reading a lot more about the Sony pictures hack than I originally thought I was interested in doing. It isn’t every day the poor security practices of an enterprise-class IT infrastructure are laid bare for people to see and perform their own post-mortem. I’ve seen all of the same problems pointed out so far before at most of my jobs. Password files stored in a Word doc, with the name password on them. Unencrypted. Scary.

And of course there is another security risk that keeps bobbing up, the Rubber Ducky. It’s a USB drive that has been modified to make the computer think it’s a keyboard and mouse (newer version). This modified USB then is able to type and issue commands as if it was a keyboard. Since all operating systems Giant Rubber Ducky in Hong Kong (picture from Wikimedia)automatically detect things like USB keyboards and mice, it allows a quick easy way to load code, simply by plugging in one of these. I really do understand the importance of 1. not running your computer with administrator permissions, and B. disabling USB ports on servers.

(to not run with Administrator permissions on your home computer is smart too)

I already can’t remember what the 3rd thing is, but 4th is a realization that I want to have the ability to play music wherever I am in the house. And I want a remote for it. I took two hours last week and started putting RaspBMC on my Raspberry Pi, and download the Android remote app for XBMC. It wasn’t too long before I realized I’m working on an outdated project, the lead developers have moved on to OSMC which is still Alpha and that the amount of work I put into this is pointless for something I want NOW. I am not looking for a tinker-toy. I sighed and slunk away from the keyboard, slow Charlie Brown music following me through the house. The next day my father-in-law’s Xmas gifts showed up. Inside: cool Very Hungry Catepillar stuff for the kid, and one bluetooth speaker. Thank you sir, not only did you achieve my goal of music in the house following me, but you saved me hours!

I’m trying now to forget that I have a Raspberry Pi that needs something done with it…hmmm… and trying to forget about Androids that are coming preloaded with rootkits.

Obama stands up for Net Neutrality!

I know the fight for Net Neutrality isn’t over, and I understand that the FCC has been given the ultimate decision on whether to reclassify ISPs as utility providers.  It’s a long road ahead, but it feels like it was a longer road behind us to get to a place where the most powerful man in the world, the president of the United States understands and supports the importance of protecting the Internet.

This makes me happy.