Enterprise Password Management

Passwords, passwords everywhere

We are living in the age of Information Technology and computers. Most of the things we get done by a click of a mouse.  At the personal level, we need to remember a lot of passwords - right from Email passwords, bank PIN numbers, logins for travel booking and so on.  If Samuel Taylor Coleridge were alive today, he would have probably rephrased his immortal lines "Water, water everywhere, ne any drop to drink" as "Passwords, passwords everywhere". 

At the Enterprise Level, the problem gets quite complex. There are servers, databases, switches, routers, firewalls and a whole lot of IT applications. Each application has its own 'administrative accounts', which are managed by IT and Network Administrators.

Administrators in enterprises follow their own way of managing their passwords. Some store the passwords in spreadsheets, some others in paper and so on. This naturally brings with it a security issues. Oflate, cyber-criminal activities across the globe have assumed such grave proportions that all organizations - big and small are exposed to security breaches and identity thefts.

Similarly, the threats by the insiders are becoming very high nowadays. When an administrator leaves the organization, he might be possessing a copy of the administrative passwords. If he he malicious intent, he might unleash a cyber-attack.

Administrative passwords give unlimited access to the users and if a hacker gets access to them, the very business of the enterprise would be in jeopardy. Effective and efficient password management alone is the solution to safeguard your IT resources.

There are quite a lot of enterprise password managers in the market. One such solution is ManageEngine Password Manager Pro from AdventNet. While offering all enterprise-class features, the solution is afforadle even to small enterprises. The pricing starts at US $ 495 ..

"Password Manager Pro is a trusted solution to securely store, access and administer shared administrative passwords. It enables IT managers to maintain a central repository of passwords, enforce standard password policies and control unauthorized user access to shared passwords. It also provides a complete record of 'who', 'what' and 'when' of password access," says the website of Password Manager Pro 

http://manageengine.adventnet.com/products/passwordmanagerpro/index.html

Take a look ... I will continue blogging about Password Management!

If you want to clear IAS, develop humility

# 2 TO CLEAR IAS, DEVELOP HUMILITY; DON'T BE ARROGANT

The surest way to failure in Civil Services Exam is 'I know everything' attitude. On the other hand, remaining humble could do wonders! Always keep in mind that you need to learn a lot. When interacting with others, always lend your ears. Don't boast about your qualification, preparation et al. Rather hear their experiences. Don't hesitate to say 'I don't know' if you do not know something. You will be able to learn a lot.

What you should not do during your journey towards IAS?

In my previous post, I had stated that I would be the best person to comment on the things one should not do during his/her journey towards IAS. I am not qualified to blabber on the 'DOs', but I can definitely tell on what you should not do since I have studied hard for the exam and lost selection.

From my personal experience and from the lives of the ones who failed to make it to the IAS, I can tell you a lot about the 'DONTs'. If you are preparing for the IAS, please take a note of these points. I will dwell on these topics in detail post after post.

#1 IF YOU ARE PREPARING FOR CIVIL SERVICES, NEVER LET YOUR FRIENDS & RELATIVES KNOW ABOUT IT

One of the commonest mistakes committed by the Civil Service Aspirants is that the moment they start preparing for the exam, they almost tom-tom it. In mu case, I dint intentionally do it, but it became almost like that.

I got a high-paying job in Singapore during my final year of Engineering. I took Civil Services Exam during that year. The employers asked me to execute a bond for 8 years. Since I strongly believed that I would clear the exam, I dint join the job. After my graduation, when my friends and relatives started asking what I was doing, I told them I was preparing for Civil Services. This reached far and wide and people started kidding as of I had become an IAS officer. It became a big embarrassment for me!

Mind you, when you prepare for the exam, just for fun sake people would call you with sobriquets such as 'collector sir'. You should not give room for any such things. Dont ever tell people that you are preparing for this exam.

The examination process is quite long and the results are unpredictable. Lot of factors such as your optional subject, number of vacancies, scaling method adopted by the UPSC could mar your chances, even if you have done the exam reasonably well.

When you face failures, people would start ridiculing you. It will become a great pressure and you will not be able to concentrate on your preparation for the next year's exam.

Thus, comes the Golden Rule: Dont tell others about the IAS dreams. Keep it secret. Let it be known only to you and your parents.

If your friends and relatives ask what you are doing, just tell them you are hunting for a job. Dont fall prey to false prestige!

The list of DONTs will continue in my next post!

Life in an IT company

Before I begin my blog I would like to say a few words.This is solely my experience and there are people who are also doing outstandingly well in the IT field.My intention is not to discourage anyone from joining an IT company.
Like many of the other engineers in India,I also found my steps into this dream company through a rope called 'campus interview'.Like every other youth ,I was thrilled initially and was eagerly looking forward to my joining.But my thoughts and expectations were all belied.This is what happened.
I was initially posted for training at Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu.Being from a non-CSE background I found it slightly difficult to cope up.It was during training that i realised that coming into a few IT companies meant a transition back to school days and not to a corporate life.12 hours of continous classes everyday including Saturdays.No time to stand and stare.It was all like thrusting everything into a garbage bin meaninglessly until it overflowed.After 2 months of such hell, we were finally given our release and I was lucky to get the base branch of my choice.
But the worst was yet to unfold.Our first day was unexpected.We were even denied entrance into the office.We were made to stand outside in the reception for hours together without having the slightest knowledge as to where to go or what to do.It was only by the end of the week that we realised that we were actually on bench which meant we would be allocated a project only later on.We had to even report to office only once a week.Neither were we given a system or a place or person to report you.The common saying for us was ' You come ,you will not be welcomed ,even if you fail to do so ,you wont be reprimanded'.
This was my case for almost 6 months.While most of my friends had been put up in projects I was not.After repeated requests I have been out up into a project just last week.Even now I do not even have a system of my own or a login id or even an access card.Now I am sitting in the temp system alloted me and doing nothing but writing and lamenting about my situation.I get my pay every month but I dunno whether this is a healthy practice but this is the case in most of the leading IT firms in India.So pals! my sincere advice to you is 'NEVER GO TO BIG IT FIRMS' even if they are prepared to wash your feet with money.A small company in hand is worth two big ones in the bush.

THE FREE SPREE

Its high time the definition of shopping is revised from 'the process of procuring goods of absolute necessity for existence' to 'a luxurious form of entertainment where people end up buying most things for the heck of possessing them than utilizing them'. How often have you found yourself filling your shopping cart mostly with least wanted stuff and finally stared aghast at your bill wishing Mr Sense had been somewhere in your vicinity just a few minutes ago? Today shopping has become a ritual to be followed at least twice a week. Its often an uphill task to stay away from a shopping store even at the remote sight of one at mid-nights.
Advertisement agencies these days do extreme justice to their professions. A successful ad is meant to create such a void in one's life that the next thing we do is go on a man-hunt for the product. A single product with a lot of varieties under a number of captivating names and different flavors is bound to give tantrums .For instance, in the hair care section you would find something which says ' meant for dry hair and oily scalp' and another which says ' anti- dandruff shampoo for men'.Enough damage has been done. You would be confused about the kind of hair you have .You would probably walk out with the product a fellow customer picks up.
Todays shopping complexes and constructed with great pomp and splendor .Attractive lights which would make the rotten of vegetables seem ever-green. Air-fresheners and aerosols being circulated by air-conditioners generate a strange odor. A hell lot of labels for each department like under 'personal care'- hand care, hair care, body care etc that you are muddled up about what 'care' is it that you require. Needless to say we walk out with one product from each 'care'.

The word 'Special offer' can work out magic in us. 'Buy four get one free' is the mantra. Though our consumption for ages together would be something less than one, we find ourselves stuffing our carts like a person apparently deprived of food for months .
The last and the most painful part of it all 'THE BILLING' the process where the entire world comes to know the brands and products you supposedly use. Its not a queue but a human chain which could extend upto several light years. This is garnished with busy credit card lines, wrongly billed entries and lest to say tones of weight back-home.

Submitted by
Vijayalakshmi V

tackle those marriage blues

Have you tied the wedding knot recently? Do you find yourself caught up in an emotional trauma? Does reality seem to hit you that married life is not after all that puppy love that you assumed it to be? Well you are sailing in the same boat as many newly-wed couples. Before you conclude anything by just stepping into the water you ought to swim and experience the depth and wonders of this mighty ocean of marriage.

Cosmos conspires to drive you only towards the positive side of things.Yet many of you would be beset with the notion that fate has played cruel games only with you and not with any other soul . So firstly, accept the fact that no marriage is devoid of problems. It is just that one should be given the time and space to accept a total stranger for life-time. Remember, your partner also deserves the same. If you end up with a difference of opinion which could by all means lead to a feud, there are ways to tackle it. Try to put forth your view in a subtle and polite manner. Never , vent out your anger or even show the slightest presence of it.If you lose in the argument ,accept your partner’s views open heartedly. Never hesitate to apologize even if you weren’t wrong.Lastly,never get dejected over silly quarrels and instead spend some time and think about the happy moments you have shared. A flip through your wedding or honey-moon photographs could revive you.

Certain minute gestures and actions could go a long way to build a fruitful relationship. Try to gauge the likes and dislikes of your partner. Never forget to commemorate occasions like birthdays and anniversaries. At this point I would like to make something very clear. There maybe few who would argue saying that a failure to wish or gift on such occasions is not necessarily an indication of lack of love. Yes, definitely it is not , but the happiness of being remembered is far fetched than the ignominy of being forgotten.

Try and reciprocate as much as possible. For eg: if your partner agrees to come with you to a movie he/she least likes, it automatically follows that he/she would expect you also to accept some of her likes which might not be your cup of tea. Please make a note, women normally expect this kind of behavior from their hubbies but very few of them really care to do it.

Its high time you realize that marriage doesn’t require two people who are naturally compatible. All it needs is just a little bit of thought process and reasoning time and again to cement the relationship.

Want to become an IAS officer?

It is that time of the year again! The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) is about to declare the results of the prestigious Civil Services Examination. Nearly 2000 souls would be anxiously awaiting the results. Roughly, a third of those who attended the interview will get a service - IAS, IPS, IFS, IRS, ....

While the lucky ones among the 2000 will get the opportunity for a life-long, glorious career in the Civil Services with a magic wand on hand to serve the people, the poor ones who lose selection will remain shattered, at least for a few months. While the lucky ones will give interview to the press quoting adages - 'there is no substitute for hard work', 'determination, hard work and persistence got me the success' etc., the not-so-lucky ones will look back their days of hard work - nearly a year of dedicated preparation for the Prelims, three-month long anxious wait for the results, brief celebrations for success in Prelims, taxing preparations for the Mains, again a four month long painful wait for the results, joyous celebrations for success in Mains, careful preparations for the interview, tips from elders based on bundles of legends on IAS interview ("one time they asked how many steps one passed to reach the interview hall"), eventful days of stay in their respective state Government Guest Houses in New Delhi, tense moments of facing the interview board in the Dholpur House, analyzing the responses for the questions triggered by the smart members of the board during the casual interaction called 'interview', week-long wait for the interview results - and finally the agonising results!

While the friends and relatives of those who got selected will get a great reason to celebrate the success of their dear ones, a pall of gloom will descend on the families of those poor ones who fail to make it to the IAS.

A pall of gloom descended on my family - not once, but twice - in 2001 and 2007 when I failed to get through. It was my childhood ambition to become an IAS officer. I did work diligently towards that goal; showed promising progress; carried the hopes and aspirations of my family members; yet failed to deliver! When the results were out, I could only say 'so near, yet so far!'. Silently, I became one among the lakhs in the country who wanted to become IAS, but could not!
For me, Civil Services preparation had been a part-time activity. Though I started ground-works for my preparation during my college days as a Mechanical Engineering student, I prepared full-time for the exam only during my first attempt at Civil Services Examination. Thereafter, it became a part-time activity. Exactly seven years ago, after failing to make it to the IAS, I joined a top software company at Chennai in May 2001 and have been working there eversince.

I kept preparing part-time, but could not become an IAS as I dreamt. The dreams came to a halt with last years's results. Years of hard work did not bear any fruit in my case. IAS dream remains a scar even now, but I am getting on with my profession.

CSE 2008 results are about to be declared. Though I am not a candidate, many of my friends have attended the interview. A close friend who has made his final attempt is anxiously awaiting the results. I am also anxious along with him. He has kept preparing for the examination for the past nine years with single-minded devotion. Hard work and persistence should pay him off in a big way and he should land in the elite IAS. I am praying for him now.

For those of you who are lucky enough to get a service - my best wishes for a bright career. As the saying goes, in Civil Services, the real test of excellence starts only after success in the IAS examination. From the day of the result, you are becoming a member of the steelframe of the nation. You have got the rare opportunity to the serve the poor and needy. Measure up to their expectations.

For those of you of my ilk who fail to make it: Keep in mind the golden saying - we can only deserve success, can never ensure success. Analyze honestly and think if you really deserve success. If so, go back to the above line and read the adage again. If you have more attempts left, prepare yourself for yet another sincere attempt. Otherwise, do not waste time on brooding over the past. Get on with life. There are lot of wonderul things in life than IAS!

For those of you who are going to make an attempt at the Civil Services Examination: I am not qualified to prescribe the recipe for success as I have not tasted success. But, I can definitely tell you about what not to do. I know the recipe for failure. In my next post, I will dwell on the things to avoid, practices that should not be followed etc..