ASG's Security Solutions Blog

Lenel's April 2010 Microsoft Security Patch Update

 

The following Microsoft Security Patches have been evaluated and approved by Lenel for computers running the Lenel OnGuard Software:

Approved

• MS10-019 Vulnerabilities in Windows Could Allow Remote Code Execution (981210) Critical
• MS10-020 Vulnerabilities in SMB Client Could Allow Remote Code Execution (980232) Critical
• MS10-026 Vulnerability in Microsoft MPEG Layer-3 Codecs Could Allow Remote Code Execution (977816) Critical
• MS10-027 Vulnerability in Windows Media Player Could Allow Remote Code Execution (979402) Critical
• MS10-021 Vulnerabilities in Windows Kernel Could Allow Elevation of Privilege (979683) Important
• MS10-022 Vulnerability in VBScript Scripting Engine Could Allow Remote Code Execution (981169) Important
• MS10-024 Vulnerabilities in Microsoft Exchange and Windows SMTP Service Could Allow Denial of Service (981832) Important
• MS10-029 Vulnerability in Windows ISATAP Component Could Allow Spoofing (978338) Moderate

Not Applicable

• MS10-023 Vulnerability in Microsoft Office Publisher Could Allow Remote Code Execution (981160) Important
• MS10-025 Vulnerability in Microsoft Windows Media Services Could Allow Remote Code Execution (980858) Critical
• MS10-028 Vulnerabilities in Microsoft Visio Could Allow Remote Code Execution (980094) Important

For past updates, go to: www.lenel.com
Support > Downloads > MS Patches

Improve Communication with Your Boss to Get the Budget You Need

 

As the economy begins to rebound and businesses are beginning to loosen the purse strings again, now is an important time to begin preparing for the inevitable shift in focus from cutting cost to improving performance. As the focus of your company’s C-suite (think CEO, CFO, CSO) begins to shift, will you be prepared to champion your ideas for security improvements and acquire the budget and resources you need to prosper?

If you’re feeling apprehensive about requesting budget from your boss, you’re not alone. Many security managers have difficulty communicating their ideas to their bosses. But by following a few simple suggestions, you can improve your communication with your boss and help him (or her) understand how implementing your ideas will provide value to the business as a whole.

Find Out What the CEO is Worried About
You can be assured that whatever worries the CEO of your company also worries your boss. The executive management team of your company needs to remain focused on the largest issues facing the organization and their focus often shifts from one crisis to another. Frequently the topics that are considered their ‘Top 10’ in one year may no long be so the next. If you really want your boss to understand and relate to your request, you have to frame it in reference to what is important to him. Take the time to find out what challenges the CEO and the rest of the C-suite are currently focusing on and how your idea will help the organization solve those challenges.

Focus on the Bottom Line
Your boss thinks in terms of numbers, metrics, and the bottom line. If you want him to pay attention to what you are saying, you need to frame your argument in terms he can measure. Prove to your boss that you know why the business is in business and show him how your idea will improve the bottom line.

While showing a direct increase in revenue or reduction in cost is ideal, it is often difficult to quantify the value of improving security. When you can’t clearly quantify the benefits of your idea, focusing on the cost of not implementing your suggestion may help you get your point across. Remember that incidents such as workplace violence, safety violations or emergency management slip-ups can have a hugely negative impact on the value of your business’ brand as well as stock prices. Additionally, your customers’ perception about your security can greatly impact the customer experience, both positively and negatively. Poor security may erode the confidence your customers have in your business and lead them to turn to a competitor.

Talk Your Boss’s Language
Chances are likely that you boss isn’t a ‘security person.’ If you’re advocating your idea to the C-Suite, make sure you use language they understand. Don’t use security jargon they may not be familiar with or see as important. Instead, talk their language. Focus on their needs and goals and how your solution can help achieve them. Don’t try to tell them why they need to implement your idea, instead tell them why implementing your idea will further their goals or meet their needs.

Know the Numbers
Metrics are hugely important to C-level executives. Your executive management team is constantly focused on a set of numbers or key performance indicators that tell them how the organization is doing. Make sure you find out what key performance indicators your boss uses to make decisions and communicate how your idea will improve those numbers. Know what the numbers mean, what they represent and what levels indicate that performance is good or improving. If your boss uses employee turnover as a key performance indicator, tell him how your idea for a new safety program or parking lot security improvements can reduce employee turnover by increasing employee confidence and project how much the number might improve.

Don’t Take No for an Answer
Your boss didn’t get to where he is by ignoring the people around him. If you feel that your boss isn’t listening to you, or might not fully understand your idea, then tell him so. Ask him what exactly he doesn’t understand or objects to and seek to overcome those difficulties. If your boss doesn’t understand your idea, try to communicate it in another way. If your boss objects to your idea, find out why and overcome that objection by making improvements to your idea or communicating its value in a way that makes sense to him. Either way, don’t give up on your idea just because it didn’t succeed on the first try.

Now that the economy is improving and budgets aren’t squeezed so tightly, you probably have lots of ideas for improving security at your organization. As things improve and C-suite executives look toward the future, now is the perfect time to show your boss how your ideas could benefit the business. But you’ll only succeed if you’re not afraid to talk to you boss and advocate for your own ideas.

Now that you know a few ways to improve communication with your boss and get your ideas turned into action, think about what difficulties you have had in communicating with your boss in the past. Do you think these strategies will help you overcome those difficulties? Let us know in the comments below.

Are You Leveraging the Power of Your Peers in the Security Industry?

 

At the ASG Security Summit & Expo in March 2010, we introduced you to the concept of increasing your own value and the value of the security industry as a whole through the Great Conversation. At the Summit, we brought together hundreds of security leaders from around the Pacific Northwest to engage in a conversation focused on physical security that included end users, security directors, manufacturers, security consultants and integrators. The participants were able to learn about some of the major trends in the industry and their input helped influence some of the security industry's top thought leaders.

For over a year now, ASG has been creating this kind of communication on a smaller scale between the security leaders of some of the Puget Sound’s top organizations. We did this using industry focused Round Tables. We began the ASG Security Round Tables in order to bring together individuals with similar needs and experiences to create an environment where members can gain new knowledge and experience from one another. Recently we made the decision to make a few improvements to these groups.

In response to the requests from our Summit participants to continuing the Great Conversation all year round, ASG has decided to reform our Security Round Tables as the new Great Conversation Forums. The purpose of the Great Conversation Forums remains to bring together security leaders within common industries and facilitate communication that will allow members to learn from one another and leverage the power of their peers. We listened to what we heard at the Summit and decided to make a few improvements that will make the Great Conversation Forums more valuable both to members and non-members alike. These changes include:

1. Removing our brand from the group. While we are very proud of the groups and our work to get them off the ground, we feel that having our name attached leads to the perception that ASG wishes to influence the group in a particular direction. We want members to know that the group is not about an integrator. It is about bringing value to the members through communication and conversation, regardless of who they use to integrate their individual security solutions.
   
   
2. Creating a new online platform. This online platform will host news, meeting minutes and other conversations and will allow members and non-members to interact outside of the quarterly meetings and benefit from the group discussions even if they were not able to attend.
   
   
3. Involving more industry through leaders. By using the relationships built by the ASG Security Summit & Expo, we hope to engage security thought leaders to interact directly with the forum members. Our goal is to allow the Forums to develop their own conversations, but leverage industry leaders in order to get the answers to their questions and gain advice from some of the best minds in the security industry.
   
   
4. Building a larger community. While we began in the healthcare and education industries, we are committed to expanding the Great Conversation Forums to include many more industries in many other locations and even a series of User Groups focused around specific technology platforms or solutions.

We hope that the members of our original Round Tables will continue to participate in the Great Conversation Forums and will be seeking new members to join the existing and new groups. If you are interested in leveraging the power of your peers in the existing Healthcare or Education Forums, or if you would like to see the creation of a Forum for your industry, contact us at info@aronsonsecurity.com or post your thoughts in the comments section below.