Teisha Nolen
Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
The CPU, or Central Processing Unit, I have heard being likened to the brain of the computer. It takes commands from programs, makes any necessary calculations, makes any necessary decisions, and keeps things running smoothly. When you open an app, type a document, or stream a video, the CPU is doing work behind the scenes to make it happen.
The motherboard is more like the backbone, or hub, of the computer. It’s a circuit board that connects all the parts—CPU, memory (RAM), hard drives, power supply, video card, and more. It lets everything talk to each other and share power. If the CPU is likened to the brain, the motherboard would be the system that helps the brain communicate with the rest of the body.
Together, these two pieces make the entire computer work. Without the CPU, you’d have no processing power. Without the motherboard, none of the parts could connect or share information. Both are essential for turning on a computer and keeping it running.Hi Caleb!
You make a great point in your post. In order to efficiently troubleshoot, it is important to know the systems you are dealing with, as well as how they interact with each other. I have appreciated employment situations where I have been given the freedom to test and troubleshoot issues. Those are the situations that have allowed me to learn more than I might have otherwise. Great post!Troubleshooting is an important skill set in the career of an IT professional. Knowing the steps to take to diagnose and repair issues is essential to keeping your business running as smoothly as possible. As you learn how to identify, diagnose, and repair various issues, you will begin to see a pattern in the issues occurring. This is where documentation is important. Taking additional steps to document issues for future use allows for efficient diagnosis in the future. Additionally, these documented issues can help influence future procedures and SOP’s, which in turn will keep critical systems operational and improve downtime. The value of troubleshooting for the individual is the knowledge that comes from finding and repairing various issues. I know in past employment situations I have appreciated the ability to do some troubleshooting within my systems, as I learned more from the situation than I would have otherwise. Additionally, learning to troubleshoot on my own has saved time, improved efficiency, and freed up resources for other issues.
I remember a time in my life when I would cling so tightly to this verse. I was a mother, a wife, a daughter, a sister, a friend, an employee, a worship leader. There were days and moments when I felt the weight of expectation from all of those “titles,” and sometimes I feared that weight would crush me. No amount of physical rest seemed to fix the exhaustion I sometimes felt inside. I remember hearing this verse and feeling as if God was speaking directly to me. I turned to the book of Matthew and studied all that I could on Matthew 11:28-30, turning it over and over in my mind. It was then that I realized I was trying to do everything in my own power, working as hard as I could in Jesus’ name, but not taking the time to rest in Him and consider His expectations. “For my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:30).
I tend to be a bit anxious and occasionally ruminate on the things I fear. What I notice about when I start to get this way is that it is usually because things are coming at me fast, or there is a lot going on, and I haven’t taken the time to go to the Lord in prayer. In a world full of things to fear, it is easy to get caught up. Thankfully, we serve a God with authority over it all. The things we fear, the things we love, the things we don’t love so much. He is there in the middle of it all, offering comfort and rest. No weapon formed against me shall prosper, and I serve a good who is able to do exceedingly, abundantly more than anything I could ask or imagine. In light of that, what is there to fear?
I grew up in the catholic church, was baptized, confirmed, and took First Holy Communion in the catholic church. God was always there, but I can’t say that I KNEW Him. I knew what I had read in the Bible. I knew about the trinity, but if I am being honest, I viewed God as “out there” somewhere. It was religion. I can honestly say I grew up going to church every single Sunday, and I don’t think I knew God. It wasn’t until I had an encounter with JESUS that everything changed. I realized that God isn’t “out there” somewhere; he is very much alive and in me. As I continued to pray and read His Word, He continued to reveal Himself to me.
Hi Isabelle!
Great job on your summary of hardware security devices! I shared in my post about the key card access to our building. Our employee IDs are our access, and the access levels are set by job and department. Employees will only have access to the areas needed to do their job. We use multi-factor authentication as well to keep our network secure with employees who work from home or other locations.When it comes to network and enterprise security, it is easy to focus on software attacks, but just as important are the physical components of our networks. For instance, in my company, all employees have access cards that must be scanned to enter the building. In addition, there are several secure areas that only certain employees can access. For example, the server room is protected by key card only access, and very few employees have permission to enter that room.
Spiceworks defines hardware security as “The protection of physical devices from threats that would facilitate unauthorized access to enterprise systems” (Spiceworks, 2022). Things such as the key card access mentioned above, as well as cameras, can help keep hardware components safe. A hardware firewall can be installed to prevent unauthorized access to network components. A proxy server can act as a middleman, sending and receiving requests on a user’s behalf, allowing the IP address to stay hidden. All of these items are important to consider in business today.Spiceworks. (2022, January 4). What is hardware security? Definition, threats, and best practices. Spiceworks. 1
Hi Misty!
Great summary of some of the vulnerabilities facing our networks today. You highlighted some very common and practical ways to tighten up network security. User behavior is such a big wildcard. I love that you mentioned passwords. I know people have passwords to everything in today’s world. I have found myself exhausted trying to remember them all. The temptation to make them something easy is understandable. Companies like Bitwarden can be helpful in keeping our passwords secure.Network vulnerabilities can take many forms. Some common vulnerabilities include insecure technologies, weak configurations, and user behavior. Using secure technology is detrimental to network integrity, while insecure technology can allow cybercriminals to access a network. Ensuring that software is trusted, correctly configured, and routinely updated are steps that can be taken to lessen this risk. Weak network configurations are another way that criminals gain access to important information. Using protocols that are not secure or sending data that is not encrypted opens your organization up to having sensitive data intercepted. Using the most secure technologies and strong network configurations goes a long way in keeping your network safe, but the vulnerability of user behavior will almost always be an issue. User behavior, such as writing down passwords, leaving a workstation unlocked and unattended, or falling for one of the many tricks perfected by cybercriminals, can put your network in danger as well.
Putting security protocols in place, such as multifactor authentication, utilizing strong user privileges, and data encryption, will go a long way in protecting our network and the sensitive data in our organizations.The faith of the Roman Centurion is a great testament to the power of pure faith in God. One thing that I have always found interesting about that story is the fact that we are given an example of great faith from the least likely of places, at least in that time. A Roman soldier who had no doubt committed atrocities against the Jewish people. He was a Gentile and may have very likely been considered a Pagan at one time. This is the example that the divine Word of God gives us to demonstrate great faith. If God can use the least likely to show great faith, what can he do through a Christian with just a little faith?
Hi Caleb!
That was a great description of some virtualization technologies. You explained them in a way that made them easy to understand. I remember in the “good old days,” I accessed my actual desktop computer that was sitting in my office via a remote desktop connection. I can see where a virtualized desktop would have made this process much easier and safer.Virtualization is an important tool in today’s technology. It is the process of taking a physical resource and allocating it to a virtual machine, or VM. You can use virtualization in many ways. You can virtualize an application so that it can be used without having to be installed on the computer. You can virtualize a desktop to allow it to be accessed from anywhere. You can divide a server into several virtualized servers and allocate resources to those virtual servers. Virtualization is made possible by the use of a hypervisor, which allows VMs to share resources from the host. VMware Workstation is a type of desktop hypervisor technology that allows you to run virtual machines on your PC and even allows you to run different operating systems on those VMs.
There are pros and cons to using VMs. Some of the pros are the efficiency that is achieved with a VM, as well as some potential cost savings on infrastructure (such as with a server VM). Conversely, virtualization can be complex, and security can be more of an issue if it is not done right. Additionally, ensuring the appropriate updates have been applied to all VMs can become cumbersome.
Hi James!
Great job highlighting a few of the diagnostic tools available in Windows. I didn’t even think of the task manager, though I have probably used that tool more than most. Both of these methods are great tools to help us know where to look next and how we might begin to diagnose issues. I loved how you highlighted a tool to help us manage and diagnose resources on our computers, as well as a tool that helps us diagnose network connectivity.
There are many tools and methods to help diagnose issues in Windows. One of those is the command prompt ipconfig. Ipconfig is a tool that can be used to manage, maintain, and diagnose network connectivity. You can use this command to diagnose issues with DHCP, help identify DNS issues and even help diagnose issues with your VPN. There are several sub-commands or “switches” that can be used in conjunction with ipconfig to provide the information needed to diagnose your issue. For instance, ipconfig/all displays information about all network adapters. Ifconfig can be used similarly in Linux.
Another great command prompt tool that can be used in Windows, is the ping command. Ping can arguably be considered one of the most important tools available to us. The ping command allows us to ping other devices and can be used to further diagnose connectivity issues. We can use ping to test connectivity, we can diagnose issues with our network, and we can determine how long it takes for a packet of information to travel to the desired location and back. Like ipconfig, there are several switches that can be used in conjunction with the ping command to allow us to further narrow down the information that we want to see.
