Fortinet – BYOD – Bring Your Own Device and You Will Not Regret It!

February 21, 2013 by ·

As everybody knows, the business environment is changing every day, bringing personal devices into the business process and slowly erasing the thin line between the personal Smartphone or tablet and the PC at work. Given the circumstances, the BYOD, standing for Bring Your Own Devices, is an abbreviation that we find discussed more and more, both online and offline.

What Is BYOD and What Is Its Purpose?

In order to answer this question, we first have to review the large variety of relations encountered within a company and between two or more companies:

  • Between managers and employees
  • Between employees and partners
  • Between  all of the above and customers
  • Between customers

Often without anyone realizing it, many of these relations happen at the core of the company, using the most popular of the company’s communication environments: the network.

Using the network to connect so many people, all bringing their own devices in the process, the company always exposes itself to inherent threats, many of them making their entrance in the system without being spotted by the people who interact using their devices.

Fortinet BYOD security is a high level, state of the art system developed by Fortinet in order to allow employees, contractors and workers to use their own devices safely in order to communicate on your network and ensure your company’s progress.

What until recently was a constant fight with spam, a continuous investment in firewalls, hardened Wi-Fi technologies, network segmentation and a lot more, is now just a detail in the process meant to turn your business safe and profitable.

With high flexibility and low costs, this Fortinet service encourages you to secure your business network without interfering with any of the Mobile Device Management and Virtual Desktop Infrastructure systems.

Fortinet’s BYOD solution is so flexible that it allows you to deploy the exact amount of protection you need, by combining different levels of familiar concepts, such as the well known and completely configurable firewall.

The intrusion prevention system can also be configured to meet your company’s security and flexibility needs. The already known antimalware/antivirus is now included in the package and no extra fee is required.

Some features developed over the past few years, such as application control and data loss prevention, are also fully integrated in the system, allowing you to decide who has access to what.

To ensure that attacks are not being initiated online, the software is not being seeded and that browsers are not being exploited, Fortinet BYOD solution came up with another great feature – web content filtering.

For the vast majority of companies for which tunneling is one of the great challenges, a VPN solution was added. As if it were not enough, protection was highly increased with the two-factor authentication, which requires more than one attribute in order for one to be able to authenticate on the network. The level at which this feature is integrated is fully customizable and can differ from company to company.

All in one, Fortinet BYOD solution is a leading technology that we can expect to see surviving for the following years and turning into the end user experience on any company network.

Filed Under: Cloud Computing, PCI Compliance, Security, Tablets · Tagged: , , , , , ,

Top 5 Tablets to Have

November 27, 2012 by ·

Nowadays people are usually on the run and want a discreet and reliable device for work, school or entertainment. Fortunately, hardware companies have found the solution and they are working on improving their tablets to cater to all the customers’ tastes and wallets. Here are five of the best and most popular tablets for you to choose from:

Apple iPad

Features like incredible image quality, thanks to the Retina display, fast 4G speed, improved camera and a wide selection of fun apps place the new Apple iPad in the lead both from the customers’ and the specialized websites’ point of view. The costs may sometimes increase, when you find yourself in the position of having to pay for additional upgrades, like for example special docks for the new Lightning connector, but that does not seem to bother loyal fans too much.

Google Nexus 7

Leading the market of Android tablets, Google Nexus 7 offers you high-quality design, speedy performance and a powerful version of Jelly Bean, all for a great price. It has its own downs, like the lack of a microSD card slot (same situation as iPads) or of a back-facing camera, as well as some lag when using the Magazine app, but its advantages make you forget about them. All in all, it is considered the best 7-inch tablet and it combines fast quad-core performance and a smart operating system with a top-notch design.

Amazon Kindle Fire

Amazon brings you yet another great-priced Android tablet, which was developed from the world’s favorite e-book reader, the Kindle. Its pros are the solid and compact design as well as the friendly and easy-to-use interface. It also gives you access to a lot of apps and also free videos and books for the customers who are Amazon Prime members. Unfortunately, the 8 GB memory is not expandable and the performance may be a bit sluggish now and then, but the very affordable price makes it worth buying.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1

If the 7-inch tablets are too small for you, you can choose the larger Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 for its bright display and powerful speakers, but also for its long-lasting battery life and other features. If you always lose your TV remote around house, you will be happy to know that you can control your TV using the smart app offered by this tablet. On the other hand, the camera is not spectacular and the charging times are a bit high, but the tablet is still a good and affordable choice.

ASUS Transformer Pad Infinity TF700

The last one on this list, the tablet from ASUS has a very bright and sharp display, as well as improved cameras, long-lasting battery life and a high quad-core performance. The sound quality is good, despite the rather awkward speaker placement; the display may show some distortions if you put too much pressure on it when you touch it. It has its ups and downs, but it is a balanced Android tablet and it is the first one with a full HD screen.

If you’re looking for a new tablet, check out these 5 models first, and you are bound to find something that suits you perfectly.

Filed Under: Apple, Email News, General News, Microsoft, Tablets · Tagged: , , , , ,

Apple iPad vs Microsoft Surface Tablet

November 20, 2012 by ·

The battle between the tablets from Apple and Microsoft has been lasting for a while and the year 2012 is no exception. Apple announced the launching of their new tablet, iPad 4, just a few days before the official release of the Microsoft Surface Tablet – and they promised a powerful processor and a better Wi-Fi connection. So which one would you choose?

In fact, there are two versions of the Surface tablet – one is the already available model powered by Nvidia Tegra 3 and using Windows RT, and the other one will come out soon and it will be dedicated rather to business people, powered by a friendlier Intel Core i5 processor and using Windows 8 Pro. Note that both Surface tablets are significantly larger and slightly heavier than the iPads.

Surface has a bigger screen with great resolution – 1366×768 for the Windows RT model and 1920×1080 for the Pro one – but iPad does offer a brighter image and better detail, contrast and color, thanks to the Retina display. On the other hand, Surface has some pluses, especially when talking about storage size. The model using Windows RT starts from 32 GB built-in-storage, while the iPad offers you 16 GB. Moreover, Surface gives you the possibility of a microSD card if you want to expand that storage, whereas the iPads do not.

Apple customers were a bit disappointed when they heard that the new iPad has a Lightning connector replacing the traditional 30-pin dock connector used for the previous models. That means that if someone wants to use regular cables, they will have to buy more upgrades, therefore spend more money for Apple. Fortunately, Microsoft Surface has the good old full-size dock, usable with all cables – you can plug in USB devices, cameras and printers.

Both tablets offer you fun and interesting apps and let you connect to millions of songs, books, videos and games. A nice feature available on Surface is the Kickstand, which lets you place your tablet almost vertically so you can use it handsfree- while talking on Skype with your friends, watching movies or maybe checking up some recipes online when you are cooking in the kitchen! If you miss the presence of a keyboard – sometimes necessary at work, school or just more comfortable for you when you have typing to do – the people from Microsoft have come up with a great idea. The Touch Cover can be used as a traditional cover that protects your Surface, but also as a very thin and sensitive keyboard.

In the end, it is a battle of tastes, and the success of iPads or Microsoft tablets will resume based on what customers want. There are differences between all the models, which means that the companies are trying harder and harder to bring something new to the scene and to eventually lead the market. That is a good thing for customers, who will have more powerful and efficient tablets to choose from. But will the fans of a certain company stick with it from now on too, or will they switch to the other one? We’ll have to wait and see.

Filed Under: Apple, Email News, General News, Microsoft, Tablets · Tagged: , , , , ,

Microsoft Tablets – A Closer Look at the Surface Tablet

November 13, 2012 by ·

When Bill Gates introduced the first Microsoft tablet, nobody was very interested. But when a few years later, Steve Jobs did the same thing for Apple, the world was thrilled. It seems that now, with the Surface tablets, it is time for revenge, but should Microsoft create more and more tablets to compete with Apple or should they just stick to PC software?

With the Surface tablet, the motto is “Less is more” and it is indeed true! The design is great, very nice to look at – colorful and fun – and also very comfortable to hold. The interior is compact and very well protected by a resistant molten magnesium alloy called VaporMg – it is three times lighter than aluminum, but very durable. Surface also has a special coating to protect it from fingerprint marks, so it will always look flawless.

The Microsoft tablet screen offers a perfect, crystal clear image (16:9 ratio) so you can enjoy all your favorite HD videos or seeing your friends while talking to them. If you want to share something with them, you can use either the front or the rear facing camera. The rear one is angled at 22 degrees and you can use it and be visible when you use the Kickstand. Speaking of Kickstand, it is an intelligent and very useful addition to the regular tablet design. It allows you to benefit from your Surface hands-free too!

One of the disadvantages of using an ordinary tablet is that you sometimes miss having a keyboard, especially when you need it the most! The designers from Microsoft have that covered – with Touch Cover! At first glance, it looks like any other cover, protecting your Surface, but it actually works as a keyboard too. It is only 3 mm thick and pressure-sensitive. It has all the keys and media controls that you are used to, including a trackpad. If you need to get moving fast, you do not have to waste time with turning the tablet off – just flip the cover over the display and it will take care of everything.

Transferring large files is quick and easy with the new Microsoft tablet; just plug in a thumb drive or hard drive and then drag and drop them to or from your Surface. The USB ports allow you to connect mice, printers or even your phone when you need to charge it. You can also opt for a microSD card for up to 64 GB of extra storage.

Working with apps is so much fun – you can have access to all the music you want, as well as books and videos or games using the Xbox, you can even use two apps at the same time and see them on a split screen. Get a SkyDrive account and you will be able to share your work with others, or record seminaries while taking notes in OneNote.

In conclusion, Microsoft tablets are promising. Surface is perfect for everyday use, work and study, both for teenagers and adults. It is easy to use and it really brings some nice changes!

Filed Under: Apple, Email News, General News, Microsoft, Tablets · Tagged: , , , , ,

Surface – Microsoft Windows 8 for Tablets

September 2, 2012 by ·

The Windows Surface tablet will be available on the Oct 26 retail launch day of Microsoft Windows 8. Surface for Windows 8 Pro will come out later. The body of the tablet is a magnesium alloy chassis where the magnesium is chemically bonded on to produce a well-fitted, durable feel.

The screen is 10.6 inches and it has four edges of half-an-inch bezel allowing it to be comfortably held. The keyboard covers snap securely in place. A built-in stand fitted into a hinge runs along the back of the tablet. It is easy to flip out.

There is a Touch Cover and a Type Cover. The Touch Cover is ultra-thin and emphasizes portability while the latter provides keys that physically move when depressed. The covers are attached firmly to the Surface by a magnetic latch. Closing the cover against the Surface turns the tablet off. When it is folded against the back side, the keyboard is turned off by an accelerator.

The keyboard covers could prove to be revolutionary in design for Microsoft and, in a word, “cool.” This would be quite an acknowledgement for a company whose CEO was recently criticized for not being of the tight leather-pants wearing crowd.

The feel of typing on the Touch Cover is like typing on a less slippery and more comfortable surface than that of a screen. At the top of the keyboard are keys representing the Charm bar options of the Modern User Interface  Search, Share, Devices and Settings.

The Intel Ivy Bridge Core i5 processor allows the surface Pro to run as a more powerful tablet for most of the legacy power-demanding Windows programs. The touchpad on the Pro tablet allows extra-fine multitouch ability on the screen – you can reach into screen brackets or parenthesis.

Surface ARM tablets runs the less power-demanding ARM processors. They represents the specific tablet-friendly operating system created by Microsoft. With the Modern interface groupings of tablets, it derives directly from Microsoft Windows 8.

A power tool is that enabled by use of Semantic Zoom. It allows you to pinch in or out to decrease or enlarge the view of grouping sizes of the tiles. Seen as small groups, it is easy to move tiles from group to group and to switch and rename groups.

Specific RT apps from the Windows Store may be run on Surface RT. The Windows desktop in the RT configuration allows you to use Office applications and desktop IE. Full use of student and home versions of Office 2013 for RT will probably require the touchpad and the keyboard.

Surface Pro has a groove running around the edges to allow more air flow for cooling the Ivy Bridge Core i5. The Screen resolution is described as ClearType Full HD. It’s 227g heavier than the RT and 4mm thicker.  Surface RT is 676g and 9.3 mm thick. Its battery life is scored at 31.5 W-h compared to 42 W-h for Pro. Both tablets have two antennas for better Wi-Fi reception.

Surface was created to give Microsoft an edge in the tablet market, now controlled by the Apple iPad and to a smaller extent by Amazon’s Kindle. The company has done an excellent job in designing the tablet as a well-made Microsoft Windows 8 vehicle.

Two considerations that could suddenly propel Surface into the tablet market would be its entrance price and its hook-up with Microsoft’s Xbox that has become a stable with home entertainment systems. Surface has an Xbox app that could make it an Xbox touchscreen controller. Rumors have also circulated that Surface could enter the market at at $199 price level. Such a price should quickly give it market share.

Filed Under: General News, Microsoft · Tagged: , , ,