PraxIS Feb. 2010

10-02 Contents: Passwords, IDQ Seminar, Social Media, Accounting, EuroCACS, HEDR

ISSN 1649-2374 This issue online at http://www.sysmod.com/praxis/prax1002.htm   [Previous] [Index]  [Next]

Welcome to PraxIS

This month I'm looking for your feedback on social media for business - do you find them useful?

Patrick O'Beirne

____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________

1)  IT Risk

Consumer password worst practices

In December 2009, a major password breach occurred that led to the release of 32 million passwords in the Internet. The Imperva Application Defense Center (ADC) analyzed the strength of the passwords.The data provides a unique glimpse into the way that users select passwords and an opportunity to evaluate the true strength of these as a security mechanism.
Some key findings of the study include:
 - The shortness and simplicity of passwords means many users select credentials that will make them susceptible to basic forms of cyber attacks known as "brute force attacks."
 - Nearly 50% of users used names, slang words, dictionary words or trivial passwords (consecutive digits, adjacent keyboard keys, and so on). The most common password is "123456".
 - Recommendations for users and administrators for choosing strong passwords.

http://www.imperva.com/docs/WP_Consumer_Password_Worst_Practices.pdf

____________________________________________________________

IDQ Seminar 22-23 Feb 2010 - Dublin

Daragh O'Brien tells me that the few remaining seats for the Information & Data Quality conference next month are FREE for any comers. They had a lot of people contact IAIDQ saying they wanted to come but there was no training/staff development budget approved yet in their organisations.

The event consists of a one day conference and two half-day tutorials on key issues in Information Quality and Data Governance, including Data Protection.

http://idq2010dublin-linkedin.eventbrite.com/

Join the Irish Computer Society and the IAIDQ as we host a two-day conference in the IAIDQ's world-wide IDQ (Information & Data Quality) Seminar Series.

Hear leading Irish and European experts in the field of Information Quality share with you their insights and experiences. Learn:

* How Information Quality risks are pervasive in your organisation (and what you can do to avoid them)
* Proven approaches to communicating the value of information and the value of information quality to your stakeholders.
* The potential legal ramifications of not managing your Information Assets properly.
* How an Information Quality based approach to other Regulatory and Compliance challenges can help reap quick rewards in these and other areas of your business.
View/reply to this message on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/e/6QL7VHPsRQo-tJSc6kg01B0W/mbi/I1737786114_2/

Hosted By IQ Network
The IQ Network is a collaboration between the IAIDQ and the Irish Computer Society that is dedicated to developing and promoting awareness of Information Quality as a Business Challenge and Professional Discipline in Ireland.
The IQ Network operates as a Community of Practice of the IAIDQ for the island of Ireland and as a Professional Network within the Irish Computer Society

____________________________________________________________

2) Seen recently

Social Media, Networking, Twits,etc

I'm on LinkedIn which is more than enough for me. I never did sign up to Twitter as I could not imagine anyone being interested in when I have a coffee, and I've no intention of paying the mobile phone company even more money to update with trivia .... but am I missing something? If you use these for business, let me know!  Here are some who do:

http://www.margoliscompany.com/site/index.php?survey-results

"The Margolis Company Senior Executive Social Networking Survey results reflect contrasts in policy and approach. For example, the data shows that while only 20 percent of the participating leaders use social networking primarily for commercial purposes, most executives believe social media in a business to business context will achieve significant growth in the next two years. "

http://www.mulley.net/2009/12/07/making-real-money-with-social-media-marketing-%E2%80%93-the-komplett-experience/

"Komplett will make a high six figure sum out of social media marketing in Ireland in 2010, having made a modest six figure sum in 2009. By 2011 it will be seven. I don’t joke."

http://www.simplyzesty.com/twitter/twitter-bring-cold-hard-business-drive-sales/

"We recently won a pretty large client very simply through Twitter and as I said on Twitter at the time “It helped me feel better about the hundreds of hours I had spent dossing on Twitter”. "

____________________________________________________________

Free Accounting software

Last year I tried to use Microsoft Office Accounting and gave up when it was too awkward to customise to use the euro currency. I have now seen that TAS are offering TAS Basics free. I have not investigated it yet, but FYI:

http://www.tassoftware.ie/tassoftware/products/tas_accounts_software/tasbooks_basic.html

"TAS BOOKS Basic is perfect for start-up and small businesses. It's simple and straightforward to use and helps you keep track of the cash. It shows you at-a-glance how your business stands - who owes you money and who you owe money to. Grab some great software for free Now we're giving you the fantastic opportunity to download and use TAS BOOKS Basic for free... with no charge and no obligation. It's not a time-limited trial version, it's yours to use forever. And we've not limited any of the functionality, it's a complete working program with no restrictions"

____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________

3) Spreadsheets

EuroCACS Spreadsheet Auditing workshop March 21, Budapest

http://www.isaca.org/Template.cfm?Section=North_America_CACS&CONTENTID=53374&TEMPLATE=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm#pre

Ray Butler and I are giving a one-day workshop on Auditing Spreadsheet Risk and Quality

Patrick O'Beirne Managing Director Systems Modelling Ltd. Ireland
Ray Butler, CISA Head of Information Policy and Security Highways Agency UK

Spreadsheet models are widely used to inform vital business decisions and processes, and are known to be about the most error-prone and high-risk applications in any business. Testing can be tricky and time consuming for the auditor or reviewer, and if it is contracted out to any of the specialist service companies in the field, expensive. This one-day workshop:

• Examines the causes of spreadsheet errors and mistakes
• Details the risk environment and management processes around spreadsheet use
• Explains techniques for inspecting a spreadsheet for errors and bad constructs
• Explains techniques to reduce the incidence of errors in spreadsheets
• Suggests what to look for in spreadsheet audit software tools
• Discusses how a company can create an inventory of its critical spreadsheets, assess them for risk, and prioritise scarce resources
• Introduces little-known secrets of Excel's built-in auditing features

____________________________________________________________

XLTEST special offer held open

XLTest is my spreadsheet auditing addin. It provides static analysis and dynamic testing of spreadsheet models in both easy-to-see colour map views and exhaustive listings of suspicious elements.

http://www.sysmod.com/xltest/index.htm

If you own the book "Spreadsheet Check and Control" you save the cost of the book - 30 euro! Simply enter into the discount code box on that page, the first word on the top left of page 131.

If you buy the spreadsheet inventory/assessment workbook  ScanXLS you can get it free! Simply say you want XLTest free when placing your ScanXLS order.

Spreadsheet Check and Control: 47 best practices to detect and prevent errors

http://www.sysmod.com/scc.htm

____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________

FEEDBACK

Simply send your comments to FEEDBACK (at) SYSMOD (dot) COM

Thank you! Patrick O'Beirne, Editor

_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________

4) Off Topic

A long-time correspondent, Al Macintyre is getting even busier in retirement in the LinkedIn group for Haiti Earthquake Disaster relief:

http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=2697062

Outreach & Promotion, a subgroup of Haiti Earthquake Disaster Relief (HEDR)

The Haiti Earthquake Disaster Relief group now has over 400 members and is fulfilling various functions. Some of these functions are educational and professional (non-urgent). But some functions -- particularly those in support of Ushahidi and J-Bird Search and Rescue -- are (or could be) urgent and critical.

So, for the sake of helping those urgent and critical functions, we are creating a subgroup for those members who can assist with communication with the news media, other networks (Facebook, Twitter, CrisisCommons, YouTube, etc.) and the blogosphere in general (creating RSS feeds, widgets, etc.).

This subgroup can also work on networking and growing the HEDR group at the same time (listing media contacts, representatives at relief agencies, Linkedin Corporate / tech-support contacts, etc.)

_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________

Copyright (c) Systems Modelling Limited, http://www.sysmod.com . Reproduction allowed provided this copyright notice is included.

We appreciate any feedback or suggestions for improvement. If you have received this newsletter from anybody else, we urge you to sign up for your personal copy by sending a blank email to   EuroIS-subscribe (at) yahoogroups (dot) com

For those who would like to do more than receive the monthly newsletter, the EuroIS list makes it easy for you to discuss issues raised, to share experiences with the rest of the group, and to contribute files to a common user community pool independent of the sysmod.com web site. I moderate posts to the EuroIS list, to screen out inappropriate material.

Patrick O'Beirne, Editor
_______________________________________________________
ABOUT THIS NEWSLETTER
"Praxis" means model or example, from the Greek verb "to do". The name is chosen to reflect our focus on practical solutions to IS problems, avoiding hype. If you like acronyms, think of it as "Patrick's reports and analysis across Information Systems".
Please tell a friend about this newsletter.
We especially appreciate a link to www.sysmod.com from your web site!
______________________________________________________
ARCHIVES
To read previous issues of this newsletter please visit our web site at http://www.sysmod.com/praxis.htm

DISCLAIMER
This newsletter is prepared in good faith and the information has been taken from observation and other sources believed to be reliable. Systems Modelling Ltd. (SML) does not represent expressly or by implication the accuracy, truthfulness or reliability of any information provided. It is a condition of use that users accept that SML has no liability for any errors, inaccuracies or omissions. The information is not intended to constitute legal or professional advice. You should consult a professional at Systems Modelling Ltd. directly for advice that is specifically tailored to your particular circumstances.
_______________________________________________________
PRIVACY POLICY:
We guarantee not to sell, trade or give your e-mail address to anyone.
To subscribe to this Newsletter send an email to
EuroIS-subscribe (at) yahoogroups (dot) com
To unsubscribe from this Newsletter send an email to
EuroIS-unsubscribe (at) yahoogroups (dot) com
EuroIS is the distribution list server of the PraxIS newsletter. It also offers a moderated discussion list for readers and a free shared storage area for user-contributed files. The archives of this group are on YahooGroups website http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/EuroIS/
_______________________________________________________