Yes Virginia, Electronic Signatures Are Legal

It’s been over 11 years since President Clinton signed the Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act (ESIGN) into law in the United States, yet there are still people and businesses who question the legality of electronic signatures. This is not as crazy as it sounds, because like many things in the US, state and local laws govern many business transactions. So don’t be surprised if you are confused. A case in point...

It’s been over 11 years since President Clinton signed the Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act (ESIGN) into law in the United...

Last March I wrote about locking your computer so people don’t steal your data. In the post there’s a great video about one way to do that. It’s a bit severe, but funny. A lot of us don’t take the time to lock our computers, because we forget or maybe we don’t think anyone will try to steal anything. That’s a false hope, because there are too many people who will steal a laptop,...

Last March I wrote about locking your computer so people don’t steal your data. In the post there’s a great video about one way...

All you have to do is look around as you walk through a mall, a school or the airport and it’s fairly obvious that the world has gone mobile. It’s almost impossible to go anywhere without kids, teens and adults talking, texting or surfing on a phone. This shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone, since smart phones and tablets are selling like crazy. Just look at the stats from Apple and Samsung in the...

All you have to do is look around as you walk through a mall, a school or the airport and it’s fairly obvious that...

Passwords are the bane of our online existence. We need them to get into our banking systems, buy songs from iTunes and go into Facebook. But we also have to remember them. Security experts warn us not to use the same password for multiple accounts, since if one gets hacked, they’re all hacked. But we do because it’s easier to remember one than many. They also warn us to make them more complex than...

Passwords are the bane of our online existence. We need them to get into our banking systems, buy songs from iTunes and go into...

I was thinking about all the computing devices I use and how they have changed over the years. It used to be that I had a cell phone to make calls and a computer to create documents, send email, work on photos and a hundred other tasks. I would use my camera to take pictures. I had an MP3 player to play my music and maybe a GPS in the car to give me...

I was thinking about all the computing devices I use and how they have changed over the years. It used to be that I...

The most serious economic and security challenges we face are cyber threats. This is not just true in the United States, but everywhere. Economic prosperity and competitiveness in the 21st Century depends on effective cybersecurity and ensuring the safety of everyone online. Since more and more of us get our news, interact, do business and play online, it’s important to make sure things are safe. October 2011 marks the eighth annual National Cyber Security...

The most serious economic and security challenges we face are cyber threats. This is not just true in the United States, but everywhere. Economic...

For those who have never heard of it, Conficker is a computer worm that targets Microsoft Windows systems and creates a botnet; a collection of compromised computers connected to the Internet, used for malicious purposes. The good news is that the worm’s purpose is not to destroy your computer or its data. The bad news is that it connects with other computers to create a large networked supercomputer that can do a lot more...

For those who have never heard of it, Conficker is a computer worm that targets Microsoft Windows systems and creates a botnet; a collection...

I just listened to an excellent webcast by Neil MacDonald at Gartner on “Why Cloud-Based Computing Will Be More Secure Than It Is Today”. Gartner says that security concerns seem to be top of mind in different surveys on the adoption of cloud computing. Security is important, but people are focusing on the wrong thing. Many organizations focus on securing or locking down devices. IT locks down servers, firewalls, desktops, mobile devices, you name...

I just listened to an excellent webcast by Neil MacDonald at Gartner on “Why Cloud-Based Computing Will Be More Secure Than It Is Today”. ...

Everyone uses online services to buy things, communicate, work, share information and keep in touch friends and family. We all need to log into a website or service before we get access and that means using a password. We all love passwords because they’re easy to use, but we hate them because we have to remember them. The experts tell us to create something that’s not easy to guess, but it needs to be...

Everyone uses online services to buy things, communicate, work, share information and keep in touch friends and family. We all need to log into...

Leaking information is nothing new and in many cases some organizations do it as part of a strategy. How many times have you heard the line “According to a high-level source …” Sometimes organizations want to leak information to see the reaction before making a real decision. Unfortunately when information leaks cause major problems, you need to clamp down on them before things get out of hand. The leak could be benign, but it...

Leaking information is nothing new and in many cases some organizations do it as part of a strategy. How many times have you heard...

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