IT Applications Theory Slideshows

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IT Applications Theory Slideshows
Virtual Team File Management

• By Mark Kelly
• McKinnon Secondary College
• Vceit.com

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Managing Transmitting files

• Encryption
• Access hierarchy
• Backups
• Virus scanners
• Classifying and naming files
• Directory/folder/site structures
• Version control

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Managing Files

• Use a file manager like Windows Explorer.

• File
• Opening
• Copying
• Moving
• Renaming
• Deleting
• Categorising
• Viewing
• Archiving
• etc

Preferably a better file manager.
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A better file manager File Commander
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And other tools

• There are many utilities which help manage
  particular types of files, or carry out
  specialised actions

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Managing Picture Files

• Picture
• Previews
• Resizing
• Reformat
• Sort
• Create webpage
• Contact sheet
• File Info

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Mass File Renaming
Instantly renames thousands of files with great
flexibility. Saves HOURS of labour when working
with large numbers of files.
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Thumbnailed web photo galleries
Converts any number of photos into pages full of
small thumbnailed images linked to the large
pictures.
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Find where disk space is used/wasted
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Searching for files
Find files matching given criteria (e.g. name,
file type, contents) anywhere on a computer or
network.
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Search Replace over many files
Some text editors let you carry out a search and
replace over many files at once. Far easier
than making the same edit on 1200 files
individually!
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Transmitting Files

• Files can be sent using the normal web HTTP
  protocol but its not the best way.
• File Transfer Protocol (FTP) is the standard way
  of transferring files over the internet
  especially big files and large numbers of files.
• FTP client is like a 2-pane file manager with
  your local files in one pane and the remote files
  on the webserver in the other pane.

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Filezilla an open source FTP client
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Commercial file-sharing services
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Commercial file-sharing services
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Email attachments

• Easy to send
• Limited by size of recipients mailbox or ISP
  restrictions

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Dont recommend

• Snail mail
• Couriers
• We need ICT solutions!

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Data Security

• Virtual teams often work with confidential or
  secret data
• All data needs to be protected against loss or
  damage
• Sensitive information needs protection against
  theft

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Passwords

• Passwords can be applied to
• Individual computers
• Network access
• Website access
• FTP access
• Opening documents
• Changing documents

A password-protected database
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Biometric ID

• Passwords are weak protection
• Easily forgotten, discovered, guessed
• Biometric ID measures a unique physical attribute
  of an individual, e.g.
• Fingerprint
• Iris pattern (the coloured bit of the eye)
• Retinal pattern (the blood vessels at the back of
  the eye)
• Cant be copied, faked, stolen as passwords and
  swipe cards can

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Encryption

• Makes information unreadable for unauthorised
  people
• Public Key encryption does not have an unlocking
  key - the weak point of all previous encryption
  systems
• Public key encryption (look up RSA, PGP, SSL) is
  very, VERY hard to break
• Even if an encrypted document is stolen or
  copied, it is worthless to the thief

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Encryption

• SSL (Secure Socket Layer) encrypts web traffic
• Is active when the padlock in your browser snaps
  shut
• Messages between web servers (e.g. banks) and
  visitors are encrypted by the sender and
  decrypted by the recipient
• Secure sites sometimes identifiable by a HTTPS//
  prefix

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Access hierarchy

• Different users get different levels of access to
  data
• Level of access based on what they need to get
  their work done
• Prevents unskilled, stupid or evil people
  deliberately, carelessly or accidentally
  destroying data

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Safe Disposal

• Deleted files are easily recovered
• To be safe, unwanted files should be wiped
• Military-grade wiping involves overwriting data
  at least 7 times with rubbish data
• Computers being disposed of should have their
  hard disks reformatted.
• But reformatting can be reversed!
• Some organisers shred used hard disks to be sure.
  The disks are physically pulverised.

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Hard disk destruction
Hours of crushing fun
http//www.youtube.com/watch?vsQYPCPB1g3o
http//www.youtube.com/watch?v8qImGK8bHjE
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Access hierarchy

• Databases, for example, can assign rights such
  as
• See some data, but not all
• See all data, but not add/delete/change change it
• Add data but not delete any
• Add and delete data but not change any
  programming or presentation layouts
• Access all areas

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Access Privileges in Filemaker
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Backups

• Backup copying data so it can be restored if
  the original is lost or damaged
• Must be done regularly (daily!)
• Must be stored offsite
• Procedure must be tested and documented

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Backup types

• Full copy absolutely everything new and old
  data and programs
• Incremental (partial, differential) copy only
  files that are new or have been changed since the
  last full backup.

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Typical Scheme

• Weekly full backups
• Daily incremental backups
• To restore data, reload the latest full backup
  and then add on all the incremental backups made
  since then.
• Look up grandfather-father-son scheme, a
  variety of rotation backup

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Backup Media

• Media what the data is saved to
• Tape large capacity, slow, wears out,
  expensive. Very common
• Removable hard disk fast, large capacity,
  cheap.
• CD/DVD relatively low capacity, easily damaged.
  Non-magnetic, so not hurt by electromagnetic
  fields as are tapes, HDDs.

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Backup Media

• Selection criteria
• Read/write speed
• Capacity
• Lifetime of recorded data
• Durability of media

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Virus scanners

• Must have up-to-date virus definitions
• Must be running all the time
• Must be accurate
• false-positives wrongly believes a virus exists
  
• false-negatives fails to identify a virus
• Even market-leading products are imperfect
• Some free products (e.g. Avira) outperformed
  Symantec McAfee in a test in 2009.

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Other scanners

• Malware spyware, adware. Either does bad
  things (e.g. monitoring users actions) or is
  badly programmed and badly affects the stability
  of computers.

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Other scanners

• Trojan Horses bad software installed by users
  who think its innocent. Payloads
• Keylogger records passwords, credit card info,
  bank account logins sends them to hackers.
• Spamming agent your computer acts as a zombie
  sending spam on behalf of the hacker
• Distributed Denial Of Service (DDOS)attack your
  computer is taken over and joins a concerted
  attack on a server chosen by the hacker.

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Firewalls

• Closes unused internet communication ports
• Your computer has 65535 of them, but you only use
  about 3.
• Hackers can gain entry to a PC through unguarded
  ports
• Firewalls close the unused ports
• Open ports are watched to ensure only authorised
  programs use them (preventing Trojans sending
  spam or DDOS attacks)

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Software Firewalls

• Can be software or hardware firewalls
• Software Windows Firewall, Zone Alarm
• Needs training when first installed. You teach
  it which programs are allowed to connect to the
  internet

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Hardware firewalls

• Routers on all Local Area Networks, and in
  nearly all home/office cable/ADSL modems
• Can use Stateful Packet Inspection (SPI) to
  examine inside data packets to see if theyre
  harmful.
• Protect against incoming bad data, but not
  outgoing bad data. If youre already infected by
  a Trojan, a router wont stop your PC sending
  spam, keylogs etc

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PLEASE NOTE

• A firewall (hardware or software) will not stop
  viruses!
• A firewall will not stop viruses!
• A firewall will not stop viruses!
• A firewall will not stop viruses!
• A firewall will NOT stop viruses!
• Im glad we got that clear

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Classifying and naming files

• Random file naming leads to confusion, time
  wasting and difficulty finding information
• Store all documents in one location, not
  sprinkled around the computer and network!
• Other team members might need to access your
  documents, so they need to be able to find them
  simply by filename.
• With thousands of files, a ramshackle pile of
  careless filenames will become unmanageable.

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(No Transcript)
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File naming

• All team members must use the same sort of
  software preferably the same version (e.g. MS
  Word 2007)

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Filenaming

• Use a regular pattern in your filenames
• E.g. all invoices begin with INV- with customer
  surnameinitials-date-your initials
• INV-smithjs-20081228-KEL.xls
• Note the date code above year (2008) month (12)
  day (28) so they sort nicely
• All team members must agree to and cooperate with
  the file naming scheme

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Directory/folder/site structures

• Logical directory structure and naming is vital
  on networks and web/FTP servers
• Should be hierarchical. E.g. website for team on
  the corporate site
• corporate.com (organisations site)
• Corporate.com/vt (virtual teams directory)
• Corporate.com/vt/calendars (all calendars stored
  here)
• Corporate.com/vt/calendars/fred.cal (freds
  calendar)

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Directory/folder/site structures

• Where would the team store minutes of their
  meetings?
• Corporate.com/vt/minutes
• Corporate.com/vt/minutes/2009
• Corporate.com/vt/minutes/2009/hardware_team
• Corporate.com/vt/minutes/2009/hardware_team/minute
  s_20091231.htm

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Valid alternative

• Corporate.com/vt/minutes
• Corporate.com/vt/minutes/hardware_team
• Corporate.com/vt/minutes/hardware_team/2009
• Corporate.com/vt/minutes/hardware_team/2009/minute
  s_20091231.htm

• Both are organised and hierarchical
• Different organisation of team/year importance.
• Decision may depend on whether they will need to
  search more by team or date.
• Naming schemes should complement the way the team
  will work.

TIP Avoid the temptation to abbreviate too much
e.g. a path like Corporate.com/vt/min/hw/09/m09123
1.htm could easily become unintelligible.
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Version control

• Keeps tracks of documents as they are being
  developed
• Avoids confusion about which is the latest
  version
• Simple to achieve

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Version Control

• Never re-save a document with the same name
• Can never recover the overwritten version
• First save as document-v1.doc
• Edit it, save as document-v2.doc
• Re-edit. Save as document-v3.doc

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Software Versioning

• E.g FredSoft 7.1.2
• Major version 7
• Minor version 1
• Subversion 2

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Version Control

• Easy to keep track of which is newest
• Especially if you have copies on your PC,
  network, home PC, website and smartphone!
• Also, can revert to a previous version if you
  discover youve ruined the document.
• All team members must comply with the versioning
  scheme.
• Can delete old versions when all is finished.

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Version Control System

• Automates version numbering of team documents
• Keeps track of when documents are copied, edited,
  saved etc
• Major software often has inbuilt versioning
  features (e.g. Word, wiki software)

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Version control

• See TRACK CHANGES in MS Word.
• Tracks all changes made to a document.
• Can undo changes made by someone else.

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IT APPLICATIONSSLIDESHOWS

• By Mark Kelly
• McKinnon Secondary College
• vceit.com

These slideshows may be freely used, modified or
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the planet (but not elsewhere). They may NOT be
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