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Friday April 28, 2006

Last bit from Infosec 2006

Well, my fingers are back and healed now on my trusty laptop. Thought I'd share a few pics I took on my mobile at the show. Just wilt at the stunning quality of the built in camera. (I use the word camera in a very loose fashion...)

It was madness on the 24th (day before), this pic shows the state of the place during the afternoon before the show. Utter chaos, cables everywhere, bits of debris, paint, nails, screws, hinges, you name it, miraculously transformed for the following day...

Sun didn't have it's own stand (yes I know, we ask the same question), so we were fortunate to be able to piggy back on our bon amies 'ActivIdentity'... Naturally, our EntireID proposition was on display (which contains some ActivIdentity stuff)

It was a big show, virtually all the famous names were about and a bunch of folks I hadn't come across before. Stuff on display included a lot on anti-virus, firewall, VOIP, ethical hacking, server security, card management, encryption, but nothing really new and funky. Looks like a year on consolidate to me..

Coolest piece of technology? Well, nothing really jumped out at me, but these two fellows were quite amusing. Walking around in a moody fashion with dark glasses, struting around like the management, but never saying a word. They had backpacks with big speakers and modified laptops fitted. The screens were on a big pole that came out of the top of the backpack to an LCD panel above their heads... thus they advertised around the halls.

There were also some fluffy bunny girls, but damn, the mobile camera was too slow at reloading! ;-)

( Apr 28 2006, 05:21:44 PM BST / Apr 28 2006, 05:19:29 PM BST ) Permalink
Trackback: http://blogs.sun.com/Drew/entry/last_bit_from_infosec_2006

Thursday April 27, 2006

Report from Infosec 2006

Well I promised you a report from the show if they had wireless access and guess what, they don't - unless you have a credit card.

So, I'm typing this on a kiosk terminal which is about as user friendly as a ZX81. Hence, this will be short. I'm having to jab the space bar so hard my fingers will soon start to bleed...

Some major themes running through the show from an Identity perspective...

Compliance! - Everyone and their dog can help you with this. Nobody can tell you exactly what they're complying with...

Auditing! - See above.

Risk Mitigation - See above.

Too many products and not enough thinking. Everyone agrees there is a big opportunity/problem, but no one can say exactly what it is. Could be worse though, at least I'm not at a labour party conference right now...

( Apr 27 2006, 02:37:46 PM BST / Apr 27 2006, 02:37:46 PM BST ) Permalink Comments [1]
Trackback: http://blogs.sun.com/Drew/entry/report_from_infosec_2006

Monday April 24, 2006

Infosec 2006

Will be off to this shortly as it runs from Tuesday to Thursday this week (25-27 April). Should be quite interesting this year as they've got everyone from hackers to vendors and everyone in between coming along to speak.

If they are civilised and provide wifi access, I'll give you an update from the showground...

( Apr 24 2006, 09:08:56 AM BST / Apr 24 2006, 09:08:56 AM BST ) Permalink
Trackback: http://blogs.sun.com/Drew/entry/infosec_2006

Friday December 09, 2005

Yep, did it!

Got to shake Jonathans hand at the Niagara launch, got the set now... ;-)

More importantly, got a chance to talk to him about Entire-ID... keep you all posted.

( Dec 09 2005, 01:00:37 PM GMT / Dec 09 2005, 01:00:37 PM GMT ) Permalink Comments [1]
Trackback: http://blogs.sun.com/Drew/entry/yep_did_it

Monday December 05, 2005

Will I get to meet Jonathan Schwartz then?

I'm off to our 'Niagara Launch' tomorrow in London.

Now, being a software guy, you could write all I know about 8 core multithreaded chips on the back of, well, an 8 core multithreaded chip. But Jonathan will be here in the UK, and he's the last person left to cross out on my 'Top Sun execs I have met scratchcard bingo' card. Got to have a handshake to qualify though, none of this namby pampy 'saw him at a distance' lark.

I'll be on the 'Entire-ID' stand talking PKI, smart cards and security. So, if you're reading this Jonathan, pop over and make a software guy really happy! ;-)

( Dec 05 2005, 09:48:17 PM GMT / Dec 05 2005, 09:39:13 PM GMT ) Permalink Comments [0]
Trackback: http://blogs.sun.com/Drew/entry/will_i_get_to_meet

Thursday December 01, 2005

Swearing at the Radio... Nuclear Power

I'm usually a very placid sort of chap, I have the patience of a saint, and a generally laid back attitude to life in general, in short, it takes a lot to get me riled.

Radio 4's PM programme, however, often manages this.

This is not a complaint against them though, as it's actually pretty good. However, the subject matter Tuesday gone was about the UK's burgeoning power crisis. As my web services counterpart Steve is fond of saying... "We're doomed!"

Residents of California will doubtless be nodding knowledgably at this point.

The solution is, of course, nuclear power, and anyone who disagrees is wrong. (You can see I'm not a diplomat).

Now this isn't a popular position obviously, but I counter it with a few facts.

1. Nuclear power stations (as opposed to bombs) have killed far less people than any other type of power station over their working lives. Why is everyone terrified of nuclear power anyway when far more people die from car crashes, alcoholism and eating rubbish food?

2. Nuclear power stations don't produce CO2, enough reason on its own if you believe all the loony global warming stuff.

3. Nuclear power is safe provided it is well funded and well managed. Ahem, well, we've hopefully learn't some lessons there!

4. Nuclear power stations aren't threatened by terrorism. If you don't understand why then you don't understand nuclear power.

I've already been asked... "Ah yes, but what would you say if one was built near to you then?"

1. I already have one near me and it's been there my entire life. Dungeness nuclear power station is here, about 15 miles from my house. Curiously, it is also at the end of that little railway I was on a couple of weeks ago. I havent got three arms or six eyes.

Here is what it look like...

Can you spot the huge tracks of glowing red devastated land, disfigured radiation soaked inhabitants drawing their last breaths?(For my American readers, that was indeed a piece of 'irony')

2. I've stood on top of the Dungeness nuclear reactor when it was operating at full power with a Geiger counter, the same Geiger counter registered more radiation in my garden due to granite rocks. It's safe, got that?

Of course all the loonies like Greenpeace came out with the all the usual tripe about Chernobel and three mile island, well they would wouldn't they. But when a when a 'Minister' started chuntering the same stuff, I'm afraid that got me swearing at the radio, I don't suffer fools gladly. Fortunately, for once, old Tony is talking a bit of sense though. The UK will be at the mercy of gas and oil prices if we don't act now.

I'm all for cutting down on power usage where appropriate, I use economy bulbs and switch off stuff when it's not being used. I have cavity wall insulation etc etc etc. We all know that wind farms and wave power are about as much use as a chocolate tea pot when there isn't any wind, alongside the damage they do to the landscape. Nuclear power stations are small (relatively), clean and efficient. Yes, we need to give thought to the waste problem, but lets stop mucking about with everything else and get serious on this. What we need is a big, deep hole in the ground.

And we need to spend as much money as possible on fusion research. Then I won't have to worry about switching anything off ever again.

( Dec 01 2005, 11:14:48 AM GMT / Dec 01 2005, 10:59:25 AM GMT ) Permalink Comments [4]
Trackback: http://blogs.sun.com/Drew/entry/swearing_at_the_radio

Wednesday March 23, 2005

Just back from SunLive 05!

...Which is the UK's main 'event' of the year from Sun's perspective. Close to a 1000 industry leaders present at a favourite old London venue... The Brewery.

Kicked off by our new leader Trudy Norris-Grey and the CEO of Voca, the event got underway. There were a number of interesting sessions, I was doing my part in the Breakouts, with a 40 min presentation on Identity Management. It was good to see that an Identity subject was being covered in each breakout period, so people could move around and catch the other areas that interested them too.

Two notable presos caught my interest. First was the second half of the 'Compliance' presentation by Steve Mason, Barrister. Very interesting to see how litigation applies to IT. Did you know, for example, that typing your name at the bottom of an email is effectively the same as placing your signature at the bottom of a piece of paper? That's true that is! Also, system administrators must be able to prove that *ALL* their actions are auditing on a system they are managing, otherwise all evidence on that system becomes worthless. Lots of food for thought here, and a good speaker.

The other preso was by a chap from Nottingham University on how they have made a grid system out of a whole bunch of our Opteron machines and can now provide huge teraflop processing power to their facilities. A bonus for me was that he was an Astronomer and was working on the 'Gaseous Universe' problem, simulating tens of billions of particles. Fascinating.

All in all a good day, we're all pretty tired out! Thanks to all the techies and sales guys manning the stands downstairs, and of course to all our customers!

( Mar 29 2005, 04:32:10 PM BST / Mar 23 2005, 11:15:14 AM GMT ) Permalink Comments [0]
Trackback: http://blogs.sun.com/Drew/entry/just_back_from_sunlive_05

Tuesday January 04, 2005

Home PCs

So tedious!

Yes, being the IT chap in the family it was my onerous duty to help unpack and setup the various family membership who Santa blessed with a PC over the Christmas season.

With the promises of online shopping and banking, keeping in contact with friends and family, research family trees, playing online games it sounded like great fun.

Not wishing to put a damper on proceedings by harping on about phishing, worms, virii (not viruses!) DOS attacks, zombies and so on, I kept quiet but did setup their machines in a way to reduce 'tech support calls' as much as possible.

Naturally I could have done the whole JDS thing, but you can't do anything in one go!

Here then is my home PC guidelines for Windows users...

Boot up.
Download the free version of zonealarm firewall www.zonelabs.com immediately. I didn't fancy relying on the XP SP2 Firewall personally.
Do the windows update thing if you have ADSL. If not, tough. (Blog entry on this coming up!)
Download the free version of AVG (anti-virus) www.grisoft.com
Download Firefox (Browser) www.mozilla.com
Download Thunderbird (Email) www.mozilla.com
Download Mailwasher (anti-spam tool)
Download Media Player Classic www.free-codecs.com and use it instead of mediaplayer/realplayer/quicktime! Hurrah!
Download Flash and Java www.macromedia.com java.sun.com
Download free version of XPLite www.litepc.com and then uninstall everything possible, including IE! Hurrah!
Install Openoffice rather than the outmoded 'Works' software that often comes bundled.
www.openoffice.org
Switch off admin priviledges for the family member in question.

Result, a clean, friendly, secure and stable system and hardly any family tech support calls! Hurrah, hurrah, hurrah!!!

( Jan 04 2005, 01:22:37 PM GMT / Jan 04 2005, 12:26:32 PM GMT ) Permalink Comments [5]
Trackback: http://blogs.sun.com/Drew/entry/home_pcs

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