Testa cooled down on this business deal. Although he wholeheartedly believed that discounts promised were achievable, he could not get himself to ship his computer together with money without any form of receipt and assurance. He could recall hundreds of cases in which he ultimately ended up benefiting more than was verbally agreed and understood because one sentence was missing from a contract. Two days later Hopper phoned to ask whether Testa was still interested. Testa was not. Deep down our old miser was happy—the use of happy should not be taken literally as Testa did not possess such a gene in his being—that he did not see this transaction through. Hooper and an associate made the news a few years after their exchange with Testa. They were arrested and charged with theft and fraud. They would subsequently be found guilty of having ripped off hundreds of people out of equipment and cash. They would basically hire the services of a secretary, a warehouse and a post office box and would advertise computer-related services in classifieds. Those who replied to the ads would be conned into sending in equipment and cash for upgrades, replacements, servicing, data recovery and more. They would sell received equipment under a separate operation. Clients who called would be delayed until Hopper and his friend disappeared from the scene about 2 to 3 months after they had first remade their debut in an area. Investigators would normally find the usual things one expects in this type of operation; unpaid rent, wages, service and utility bills, cleaned out rooms and a warehouse with bits and pieces of kit that had not made it out of the door in time or which was of no interest.

So much time had passed since the tape had first malfunctioned that Testa forgot—or decided to forget—about the need to take backups. Backups are things you perform frequently and never get to use. Not taking a backup does not prevent a computer from not switching on in the morning nor does it make it malfunction. As a result, it is something one can easily side-line. Besides, not all problems, even those that are apparently critical, require one to seek a backup. For example, when Testa’s computer one morning coughed up a burnt plastic scented smoke and died out, Testa called in TechnoFriend—BuonoTech charged more—and by the time the technician was packing his kit to leave everything was back to normal. Don’t get me wrong, until the data became accessible again, Testa’s pulse was at an all-time high and his blood pressure was short of bursting a vein. He was distraught at the knowledge that he did not have a backup. He knew that without the computer and the information stored on it, his business was at a total loss. It had been years since he or his staff had updated the paper index system that allowed payments to be tracked, expired contracts to be revisited or to be moved to the closed cases section. Testa had implemented internal systems that relied entirely on the computer; his business stopped functioning whenever there was a power failure. Whenever there was a power failure everyone directed their efforts to cleaning and tidying up; if the computer would not be revived they would have all the time in the world to clean and tidy. Testa promised himself over and over again that the backup issue had to be dealt with.

But the moment the all clear signal was heard, life returned back to normal. Testa grumbled at the exuberant bill for the cost to replace a faulty power supply and clean in the fluffed up innards of the computer. As soon as the characteristic hum of the machine could be heard and the usual programs could be invoked, the backup promises reiterated over and over only a few minutes before began sinking into the kingdom of forgottenness. To be entirely accurate, the backup issue didn’t get forgotten, it simply never ever made it to the top of the list to get sanctioned and seen through. A few months after this event, the computer died out again. This time round the computer was declared dead and needed to be replaced. TechnoFriend offered to setup a new system with a tape unit and transfer the data from the old disk to the new computer. Newer versions of the old programs Testa had used would be installed and the programs Testa had written would be compiled on the newer machine. The new system would eliminate the need to file documents as it allowed for electronic signatures. Clients would sign a tablet and the signature would be held within a computer. The new system was faster and more robust although it still required a cool environment. Since Testa’s business had come to a complete standstill as a result of the failed computer, the miser was not able to squeeze as much as he would have liked.

After prices and timings were negotiated, the new system went into operation. It was a leap in technology. Everything ran considerably faster and newer versions of programs had newer functionality that made life simpler. Testa could now backup the data and the new backup system was setup so that it only required that, on a daily basis, someone remove the ejected tape from the night before and push in a tape for that day’s backup.

He did initially take a backup on a daily basis but the habit of not taking a backup seemed to have infected him. One particularly busy day (the business had moved up another notch) he forgot to push in the tape. The next morning there was a warning on the computer that informed him that a backup could not be taken. He acknowledged the warning and everything returned to a norm. The missed backup events appeared frequently and over a considerably short period of time it became a standard procedure that every morning one had to ok the backup warning so that it would go away. His employees would do it if Testa didn’t get to the keyboard first. One day when tinkering on the computer Testa had adjusted the backup software so that it no longer scheduled a nightly backup. Backups would be an on demand thing rather than a programed process. A few weeks after, one of Testa’s employees remarked that the error message that came up every morning had gone away and “now the computer was fixed.” Life was as it should be; profitable and very busy.

One Saturday night a water outlet valve of the air-condition got clogged. This resulted in water seeping out of the unit and trickling down the outside of a pipe that normally expelled condensed water into the street. The pipes ran directly over the computer system. This was one of the designed decisions Testa had insisted upon to keep costs down. Water leaked on the running computer system and onto the UPS. A short in the latter resulted in a small fire coupled with intense black smoke produced when plastic and electronics burn. The combination destroyed the computer, printer and the box of tapes that had infrequently been used to backup the system.
No one knows what this mishap cost Testa. A specialised company had managed to reconstruct portions of the data from the only readable backup tapes against a hefty payment. The tape contained data that was more than 6 months old. While on the outside Testa’s operation went on, he did downsize and his operation was never on the par to what it had originally been. Some might say that he had grown old, but an ex-employee claimed that he lost huge amounts of money when debtor data vanished in the computer disaster. As soon as news of the disaster spread amongst those who owed Testa money certain people began making claims that they had effected payments. Costly and lengthy legal action by Testa against presumed defaulters did not always produce the desired outcome.

After the ordeal, backups became as regular as rain and the media was retained offsite.

Although a second computer shop had just opened in town, Testa decided to visit the shop who had supplied the computer system originally. BuonoTech had expanded to become a retail chain and at the time was still the first name that popped into any one’s mind when they talked or thought about computers. Testa first visited BuonoTech. When he explained the symptoms and reported the error message, he was told that the problem was a hardware failure error. Getting a new set of tapes was not going to solve the problem. He was informed that his system was obsolete and that BuonoTech no longer stocked that model. They could get him tapes if he insisted but since the format was specific to that model they would not take the tapes back if he returned them. They offered him a new tape drive with tapes. The cost of this solution (tape drive unit, tape media and installation) was miles outside Testa’s ‘I’m willing to pay’ scale. Testa argued that if computers had fallen considerably in price, tape units should have followed suit. It made no difference to him that the new tape system was faster and could store more information. This was a rip off. He demanded to see Jack Buono.

Unfortunately Mr. Buono was packed with meetings and it was difficult to speak with him today. If Mr. Norberts could leave his contact details Mr. Buono would contact him as soon as possible. Mr. Norberts left the shop a very angry man. “Had it not been for me, these people would be as penniless as when they approached me to help them out.” he murmured to himself, “That’s the respect I get for helping these people move up society notches”. His number seems to have been misplaced by the person at the counter because Mr. Buono never returned his call.

The second shop, called TechnoFriend, was a small shop owned by a Johann Wang. Johann initially opened the shop for two reasons: he loved technology and he wanted extra income to reinvest into technology. At the time, Johann held a full time job as a night manager in a hotel. He started life as a person with no interest in computers. He had never seen or used a computer. His first formal training on computers had taken place at the hotel about a year before. His hotel had decided to computerise their operation and he was one of the selected few who had received training from BuonoTech. That was his first interaction with technology. He discovered that he was a natural with computers and could solve problems and figure his way out of technological knots with relative ease. Unlike almost all of his peers, he didn’t freeze if an unusual message popped up on the screen. Rather he would actively try to figure out a solution.

Unlike older and younger colleagues who had received the same initial training, he didn’t spend the first and last 15 minutes of every lesson complaining with the tutor that he is too busy or too old or too tired to learn computers. Neither did he bitch that computers were a waste of time and money and that since the introduction of computers mistakes where off the chart, guests were angry and on the whole, things were now worse than they were in the pre-computer days. Johann just absorbed what the tutor had to give.

Others soon discovered that they had a guru in their midst and would call upon him for a solution to their electronic stumbling blocks. Initially, when someone called BuonoTech’s support line at night the person taking the call would ask if Johann was around. If Johann was not working that evening, a lengthy diagnosis would have to be conducted followed by a painfully comprehensive step by step solution to the problem. On the other hand, if the technical support person was lucky enough to learn that Johann was on the premises both understanding what the problem really was as well as describing what should be done to sort it out would be over and done with in the shortest possible time. A few months after the system had been installed, night technical support calls during which Johann was working went down to zero. This was not because they no longer happened but because Johann, after a few more specialised training sessions at BuonoTech, could sort out the problems without escalating the matter.

Johann subscribed to a few computer magazines which he scrutinized from cover to cover and his first big gift to himself was a computer purchased at a reduced price from BuonoTech. This machine allowed Johann more freedom to experiment, tinker and learn and this, in turn, further increased his skill in technology. Less I forget, a few years after this story ends, the TechnoFriend chain consisting of 4 stores was bought out by the BuonoTech mega chain for an undisclosed sum topping 6 digits.

When Testa entered the shop he was greeted by Johann. Testa reiterated his problem and error message and made it clear that he was not interested in being ripped off. The owner was taken aback much less than expected because Testa’s reputation preceded him. After a bit of searching and phoning, Testa was given the same reply as the previous shop. All attempts to end the conversation and get the mister out of the door did not cause the latter to head for the exit.

“There’s nothing we can do”, “I’m sorry you’ll have to look elsewhere”, “Did you try BuonoTech?” and “Sorry I can’t help you” are just a few of the hint lines to end the exchange, but Testa would not leave the shop. Maybe it was Johann’s character, maybe it was the hospitality training he received from his other job, maybe a combination of both but the shop owner could not get himself to tell the mister to “get the hell out of here”. TechnoFriend had developed into a sort of computer club type-shop. This was directly as a result of Johann’s passion for technology. Gurus and geeks would hang around the shop getting the opportunity to play with what was on display, chat with each other, and argue the best technologies around. Some of the regulars put in as much time as Johann and ended up serving potential clients and helping confirmed customers.

At one point, Johann was joined by 2 others in an attempt to explain the benefits of newer backup systems but, yet again it was a waste of time. At the end, Johann had the brilliant idea of how to pass the buck, he fished out one of the many computer magazines he had running all over the place and looked up the classified ads. One ad claimed that the company would solve any computer problem guaranteed. The ad promised that if the company failed on its promise it would pay $100. It listed a PO Box one could write to and a phone number one could call. Johann photocopied the ad, gave a copy to Testa and told him that the circled company might be able to help him. It was probably the longest two hours Johann had spent with a single client in a transaction that did not result in a sale, but somehow he was content that the man had taken his custom elsewhere.

The next day, Testa phoned the company. The lady who answered the phone told him that no one was at the office. He was to leave his details and someone would phone him back upon his return. The promised phone call came at around 4pm. The caller who identified himself as Hopper reassured Testa that they would be able to help “as long as it’s a computer problem.” Testa gave details of the computer system, the tape drive, the symptom observed and the error message. Hopper promised to call the next day. The next day Testa received the call he was waiting for. Hopper did find a replacement unit but it was not worth it. He would like to propose to Testa a new computer system complete with the latest tape unit. He could offer it to Testa at a very special price of 30% off retail. Their company had also found a buyer for his old computer and if Testa agreed that would result in another 25%, 30% if Testa had retained all the disks and documentation that came with the machine. It was great that, in exchange for a few scraps of paper and a few disks, he would be getting an additional 5%. He would be getting a top of the line brand new system complete with tape drive at a staggering 60% off retail. Sure the cost of a few tapes, transport services of both the old as well as the new system, as well as the service charge to transfer the data from the old machine to the new one and to erase the old machine would add around 10% but even at 50% it was a huge bargain. Even though Testa was satisfied at such a phenomenal discount his natural inkling was to try to squeeze this lemon a little bit more. Hopper agreed that everything would be done at 55% discount although Testa would have to pay everything up front. Testa wanted to think about it.

Testa didn’t believe in paying overtime. He believed that overtime was there to make people realise that they have the potential to earn more. Besides he was afraid that once a person got a taste of extra income he might ask for a raise rather than be grateful for what he was given. He didn’t believe in part timers because he felt that part timers would have too much time on their hands to seek alternative employment. This made part timers less loyal to the firm. He didn’t believe in employing women because the female sex was, for all terms and purposes, not male. Women might want to get married and might have babies. According to Testa, women had to take care of their family and to shop and to clean the house and this would, in-turn, increase the likelihood that they would need to take all their vacation days and be much more inflexible to working additional hours for free. Besides employing a woman meant that sooner or later one had to invest in facilities necessary with womenfolk. According to Testa, women were of a greater disposition to want to better their environment and try to make their workplace more bearable and enjoyable to work in. They also had a higher cyclic probability of being sick and emotional and, God forbid, become emotionally involved with him. Women were definitely on the do not consider list.

The computer came at a time when the firm’s business had gone up a notch. His two employees were each putting in around 10 unpaid hours a week. As Testa saw it, 5 of the 10 hours came from their lunch break and he could squeeze that out of his dependents without too much complaining. The problem was the remaining 5 hours that had to be done either before their official starting time or by having them stay over after the business officially shut up. Testa also managed to convert most of his employee’s official vacation leave into work days. He did this by making his subordinates understand that there was work to be done and they had to be responsible towards the business which was ultimately their bread and butter. Therefore unless Testa decided that an errand was critical and could not be done outside the extended office hours, his clerks would be refused the request to take the day off. If one was adamant about needing the vacation leave, Testa would make the few days before the off day and one or two days after, a mental torment of humiliating accusations aimed at the person who only wanted some time off. Testa would grumble aloud against the person and would encourage the poor man’s colleague to join in. The co-worker always seemed tremendously eager to join in such discussions that would, more than usual, bash his mate. If an errand could only be done during office hours, the employee would be allowed to get the errand done and return as soon as possible to his desk afterwards. Testa had reached a stage in which he feared that asking for more unpaid time was too risky.

From his interaction with the Buonos, Testa had learnt that computers can be programmed to do certain tasks previously performed by humans. He was hoping that the computer system would be a cheaper alternative to employing a third employee. Testa also felt that juggling three people would be much more difficult and there was a greater risk that those in his employment would suddenly decide to chat amicably amongst themselves and compare notes.

Training was conducted by a junior trainer employed by BuonoTech. He had been employed a few days before and onsite training at Testa was probably his first duty. Although he was not that experienced he was both knowledgeable and eager to please his client (and his boss). The first thing that Testa did was to get the young tutor’s home phone number. After a session, Testa would revise all the work done, work through the documentation, read help files and experiment with the various programs. If Testa encountered what, at first seemed to be an insurmountable problem he would hack at it. If that failed he would call the tutor at home. Saturday, Sunday, evenings never prevented the determined miser from picking up the phone. If the inexperienced tutor did not have an immediate answer or was not at home, Testa would ask to be called back.

At the end of the training the firm had a small database that, within a few months, would hold a record for each transaction the firm held with third parties. Searching and organising information was considerably made more efficient. For example producing a list of people who had defaulted was no longer a task that took someone many hours once a month; thanks to the computer the list could be produced on a weekly base in a matter of minutes. Standard letters would be produced automatically rather than be typed in, one at a time. The computer system brought a reshuffle in the way the firm operated. The clerks would create and update records which Testa would meticulously verify. They would print the letters and do the chasing passing the “black spot” cases for Testa to handle personally. A few months later, additional business systems were computerised. Testa did all the programming work himself.

It is amazing how a person such as our little character could have taken to computers. May be it was because the machine had no soul, no feelings and no emotions? May be it was because it could be made to work, and work and work without the need for silly humanistic traits such as having a cup of tea or needing to go to the bathroom? May be because the computer system had cost Testa almost nothing and was proving to be, overall cheaper than his two employees? May be it was a combination of the above? Testa understood that unless he learned more about the subject he would be at a disadvantage. He had two options, utilise the services of a trainer or teach himself. Engaging a trainer had proved to be a success but unlike the first time, now he would have to pay for the effort. After a few enquiries he concluded that this would prove too expensive. The only way to teach himself was to acquire books on the subject. At the time, the local library did not carry a good selection of computer books. Although more and more people had heard about computers, they were still not sufficiently mainstream to merit their own section. Besides the few titles on the subject were generic and directed towards an introduction to the subject. He was past the introduction stage. This meant that Testa had to purchase the knowledge he sought. After a little bit of research (misers tend to be so good in research) he selected two books. He worked through every page and tried every example. The proof-reader intensity with which he skimmed through the book resulted in his discovering considerable errors in both texts. Since he did not encounter any problems with the first book, he placed the errata page he had created in the book before placing it on a shelve with other literature he owned. With the second book he encountered a few stumbling blocks. He decided that the best way to go about the problem was to write to the author pointing out the errors in the book and then forwarding his problem. It worked.

I think that major cloud providers are working on it, especially Amazon that they are now PCI DSS compliant. On the other hand, the cloud infrastructure is what it is and there will always be the risk of data exposure unless you take the adequate preventive measures. Rather than expecting the impossible from the providers I would implement cloud aware mechanisms that help me protect my data.

Implementing a model that encrypts data all the way, that is, while in transit and when stored reduces the risks of disclosure considerably. Given that the latest encryption tools are put in place makes it harder for an attacker to decipher any data even if he/she is a cloud provider internal employee and has full access to our encrypted data!

Cloud Services have brought new challenges for all security professionals and we can’t expect Cloud Providers to guarantee the highest levels of security when the infrastructure has certain limitations and there’s no magic formula that makes it 100% secure. Therefore, it’s our task to secure our resources in the Cloud and should try to visualize the Cloud as our own server rooms left accessible to all internal staff and without any control measures in place. Only then we would start taking a different approach and finding new ways how to secure our data in the cloud!

Over the past few months I have been trying to educate myself on the topic of backups. So during one or two breaks I would try to get answers to the following questions:

1.  Have you ever lost data on your computer?
2. Do you know what a backup is?
3. Do you regularly take a backup?
4. What would be your ideal backup solution?

Have you ever lost data on your computer?

Many people reply yes to this answer. In a number of cases, the loss is related to a genuine hard disk failure. On the other hand I have been told stories of computers being wiped clean without taking a backup first simply because the computer would not boot Windows or to remove an insidious Malware infection. In many such cases, I learnt that the computer owner is a self-made computer technician who has just graduated the 101-Format-and-Install-Windows-from-scratch course—and knows nothing else. Others would have taken their computer to their son’s friend or to some amateurish setup that seem able to eradicate the problem only if they format the computer. Sadly no one ever bothered to make a copy of the My Documents folders on the problem computer beforehand!

The stuff lost normally always includes digital photos. On those computers in which at least one of the users is in school, such a loss is associated with lost assignments (sometimes very critical). People also mention emails as being something they severely miss after a loss. Although not as important as the other items I have mentioned, a lot of people find that re-entering ISP settings, setting up printers and other devices, remembering web site addresses and passwords and the process of making a computer function as it did before the event is a hassle.

Do you know what a backup is?

Everybody knows that a backup is a process in which important files are copied to a separate medium just in case the computer breaks down or one deletes a document by mistake. The majority of people know that they can backup their important files to CDs, DVDs or USB sticks. Few people know whether their operating system comes bundled with a backup program and fewer people can mention by name a company that sells a backup solution or at least the name of the backup program itself.

Do you regularly take a backup?

Less than five percent of the people I have spoken to claim that they regularly take a backup. My definition of regular for the home user would be at least once a week in those quite periods, at least daily during that time when the user is using the computer for a critical task. I would consider critical any of the following situations: a thesis or project that could pass or fail a person or that could increase the person’s overall score; a work related project that may be mentioned in a performance review; a task assigned by the voluntary group the person is associated with that is important for the group; any home related part time work that is done on the computer; any photo or sound clip of a person or persons covering a past event; any document that is currently being updated and into which one has put months and years to create and which, if lost, would probably never be recreated. I need to point out that this short list sums up many of the stories of data loss I was told by my students. Many of those who have performed a backup use the Windows Explorer program to drag files from their original location to the CD or DVD icon or to the USB drive. Issues related to media spanning or a single file being larger than the media on which it is to be backed up constitute an issue for many. In the case of the latter scenario many people simply do not back up the file. I once had a student who told me that she would back up her files onto a USB stick but would erase the USB drive every time she needed the gadget for something else—not the best backup strategy around!

The remaining ninety five percent of people do not take regular backups or have never done so. The group that has never taken at least one backup tends to be those who have never suffered a data loss. They tend to be relative newbies to the world of computers. The impression I get from speaking to people who have taken at least one backup is that backups are like New Year resolutions; a lot of drive and determination at the beginning that fizzles out over time. Taking a backup tends to be bound either to a recent data loss or to the energy and drive that normally accompany the beginning of an important project that demands the use of a computer.

What would be your ideal backup solution?

From the hundreds of people I have spoken to on this subject I have come up with the following definition of what an ideal backup should be.

“A Backup should be a solution that is easy to setup. When I open the program it gives me a Windows Explorer-type list that allows me to choose the directories I want to backup. The backup should be over the internet so that I do not have to fiddle DVDs and CDs. The backup solution should work in the background monitoring my selected directories and should automatically backup changed files without any involvement on my part although it should have an icon on the desktop which when clicked will run the backup manually. The backup should keep files I delete for at least 7 days just in case I deleted a file by mistake.

If something happens to my computer and I lose everything, I want to be able to install the program again and after typing in my username and password, the program automatically downloads saved backup setting so that I do not have to recreate them. I want to have a Restore icon on my desktop that, when clicked, will allow me to restore individual files, complete directories or deleted files. The interface should be similar to Windows Explorer.”

email notification

The native backup utility found on Windows servers is one cool application that has saved many SMBs real cash!  Apart from fulfilling its main functionality, it is found to be very reliable and effective. Problems arise when extra features are required such as, backing up to external storage devices and/or utilizing advanced backup features! One useful feature that is standard in purchasable applications is email notification of backup jobs. The script below gives you that functionality!!!! It’s free and simple to implement!!!!

The implementation steps of the script are as follows:

1. Create a backup job using Windows backup – Start/All Programs/Accessories/System Tools/Backup and set a job schedule
2. Open the window Scheduled Tasks – Start/Control Panel/Scheduled Tasks and find the newly created scheduled job.
3. From the properties window of this job copy the highlighted text from the Run text field
4. Copy this text in a new batch file called ‘mybackup.bat’ (any name you like without quotes)
5. Take a note of the batch file location and enter the full path in the Run text field of step 3 ex: c:\documents\mybackup.bat
6. Close the properties window by clicking OK and enter an admin password if prompted
7. Add the sample script shown below in the batch file after the text entered in step 4
8. Edit the script text to reflect your email & path settings

Sample script

Copied text from step 3 goes here

@echo off
set Sender=”source email addess”
set Receiver=”your email address”
set Host=”IP address of source email server”
set Subject=”Backup name/title”

set logdir=”%USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Windows NT\NTBackup\data”
REM ex – C:\Documents and Settings\administrator\ for %USERPROFILE%
set result=”%temp%\latestlog.txt”

pushd %logdir%
for /f “tokens=1 delims=” %%I in (‘dir /B /O-D’) do (
 if “%%~xI”==”.log” (
   type “%%~fI” > %result%
   goto :end
   )
 )
:end
popd

c:\windows\system32\blat.exe %result% -f %Sender% -to %Receiver% -server %Host% -subject %Subject%
del /q /f “%result%”

explanation

Explanation of the sample script:

 pushd
==> stores the current directory for use by the POPD command, then change to the specified directory

for /f “tokens=1 delims=” %%I in (‘dir /B /O-D’) do
=> parse each line of the directory listing (log files) and get the name of each file one by one

dir /B /O-D  ==> remove heading info from directory list, and list files by date in reverse order

until
if “%%~xI”==”.log”
==>if the current file (its extension only) is .log

then
type “%%~fI” > %result%
==> then copy the contents of the current log file to the variable file latestlog.txt

c:\windows\system32\blat.exe  ==> Blat is a Win32 command line utility that sends eMail using SMTP – http://www.blat.net/?docs/credits.html