May 2011

Cisco has released a security advisory for a vulnerability in some of their Wireless LAN Controllers (WLCs) which if exploited can cause the device to reload. This doesn't affect very many of their wireless controllers, but this is a serious enough vulnerability to warrant a code upgrade if you are running an affected code version on an impacted platform. 

What Platforms Are Affected?

This vulnerability affects Cisco WLC software versions 6.0 and later. The following products are affected by the vulnerability described in this Security Advisory:

Have questions about the CCNA Certification? Then have a look at the Webinar recording Cisco has posted on their learning network site and it will likely be answered.  This is a one stop shop for getting every detail you could want regarding the CCNA certification. 

The recording is 2 hours long, the first 40 minutes is the presentation and the rest is Q & A.  If you don't hear anything the first minute or so it's because they were having audio issues, but if you fast forward a bit you'll hear it.

Here's the link: https://learningnetwork.cisco.com/docs/DOC-11417 (basic CCO login required)

Microsoft today has announced their intention to buy Skype Global, the wonderful application that allows for people around the world to communicate with each other for free. The deal will set Microsoft back eight and one half billion US dollars, in cash. Not exactly pocket change for most companies, but our Redmond friends seem to have access to Scrooge's money bin. 

According to the press release, this will be the third time in less than a decade that Skype has been sold. First to eBay in 2005, who then sold it to the investment group Silver Lake in 2009. Now Microsoft is throwing their hat in the ring. 

While searching for a related topic, I came across this interesting white paper entitled: F5 and Infoblox DNS Integrated Architecture: Offering a Complete Scalable, Secure DNS Solution.  Essentially, if you have F5 BIG IP GTM's on your edge and you are using Infoblox for external DNS, you can integrate the two products to create a Highly Available DNS and DNS Sec architecture. 

This white paper is hardly what I would call exhaustive. It's more of a suggestion on how this type of thing can be done. It's only 18 pages long including the title page, so definitely an easy read. I highly suggest a quick flip through if this is your cup of tea. 

Click here for the PDF.

You may have heard Symantec has announced its intention to acquire Clearwell Systems, Inc., a leader in the eDiscovery market. What exactly does that mean? Well, in the age of information when knowledge is capital, large organizations stand to gain from managing their information well. If a company stays on top of their information management, they will lessen the risk of data loss to competitors and are more likely to be in compliance with regulators. 

Clearwell is the recognized leader in the eDiscovery market. Add those strengths to Symantec with their data archiving and backup expertise and you have a potential information management power house. 

So, I generally don't share info about Health or Fitness products, but this one is totally worth an exception because it can attach to your network! 

The Withings Wifi Body Scale is a normal scale with the added ability to attach to a wireless network and upload its data to a central server to be viewed after the fact. It's bit on the pricey side when compared to a non-networked, traditional scale that simple provides your weight. However, it is quite comparable in price to other digital, sleek looking scales that provide BMI and other information. 

This thing can also track multiple users automatically. Just step on and it should recognize who you are. The whole family can geek out together while tracking their vitals!

Got an iPhone or iPad? Then this is for you because there is a Free iPhone and iPad App that goes with this scale. Available in the iTunes App Store to monitor your vitals on the go.