The Internet of Things-Keeping Your Data Safe

Recently our friends at American Family Life Insurance Company of Columbus (AFLAC) rolled out a new service to support the fraud and identity protection needs of its voluntary insurance customers. 

Over the last year, AFLAC had been working with its customers with a cost-effective service to help protect business owners and their respective employees personal and financial information complete with internet monitoring and identity restoration services to keep at bay a growing threat in the US consumer marketplace.  

In 2014, Americans lost $16 billion due to fraud and identity theft victims spent hours trying to recover from this emerging white collar crime. 

This is an important issue to this Blogger and it should be front and center to your current business processes if it isn't already.  

As the Internet of Things or IoT continues to evolve, the focus of much of this emerging technological crime, we thought we could share some advice to protect you and your devices from compromise.  Keep in mind, this has been a growing issue since 1985 and many would have never thought that such crime would be proliferated while the technologies or "smart devices" have brought the world closer to our fingertips.  

First, consider setting up a separate network for your IoT devices in your home or office. By keeping IoT devices and other information separate, those unscrupulous hackers will have a harder time gaining access to your personal information.  Second, never connect your IoT devices to unsecured networks. Sure it is convenient when you are on the road or when you need to quickly respond for fear of losing that business lead. Be sure to create strong passwords for your Wi-Fi networks-the easiest way for hackers to gain entry into your home or business device that will further compromise your respective Wi-Fi network.  Finally, look into any available security measures offered for your smart devices. It helps that once you get it, to constantly update your IoT software since these devices are especially susceptible to cyber attacks. 

Do not be discouraged by such news or the threats of the hacks of IoT devices worldwide.  

Just take the necessary precautions to avoid having your information compromised and keep yourself aware of other threats to your identity. 

Our hats off to AFLAC and Independent Insurance Agents like ours, Jenny D. Sarmiento, for their advocacy on this important issue.  For more information on the AFLAC suite of fraud protection services via EZ Shield, please contact Jenny at 671-488-3669 or jenny_duenas@us.aflac.com.  For all of your network security needs in the Western Pacific, please contact GET, LLC for information on our solutions that can be of assistance to you and your respective businesses including access to the Panduit and Cisco line of network security products-of which we are proud Business Partners of both.  Give us a call at 671-483-0789 or find out more at our website at www.get-guam.com.

  

Structured Cabling Market to Eclipse $8 Billion by 2015-Does 2014 Stand to Be a Banner Year?

Funny thing the Internet.  

When GET, LLC started our business, a particular report escaped our research from Global Information, Inc.(GII).  The Japan-based information service has worked for the last quarter century with over 300 research companies across five countries to distribute quality technical and market research.  

GII wrote a great paper, though a bit dated (January 2013), that talks about what can be expected to be one of biggest growth markets in the world-the global structured cabling market.  No one can question, the market's 6.8% compound annual growth rate. GII noted that the structured cabling market will exceed $8 billion by 2015.  The U.S. leads this industry today with China and the Asia-Pacific region growing fast.  

We stand at the cross roads of that growth right here in the Western Pacific at the junction of the telecommunications superhighway linking North America to Asia and Australia. 

What is driving the growth?

GII says that the success of Gigabit Ethernet correlates to its strong presence with structured cabling. 1000BASE-T, 10G over twisted-pair copper (10GBASE-T) holds the promise of being less costly than its optical competitor, 10GBASE-SR.

Also, GII says as power consumption efficiency is resolved through advances in transceiver-chip lithography, advances in driving down power consumption are breaking through.  It is noted that fiber has taken a foothold in the network at 10G. Fiber-optic products are poised to steadily take market share from copper products in the structured cabling market over the next five years. While the copper structured cabling market is expected to shrink, there is still potential to recognize revenues, particularly in CAT6 UTP for Gigabit Ethernet and CAT7 for 10G.

GII notes that driven by a boom in broadband Internet users and the proliferation of bandwidth-hungry applications such as HD video, Internet bandwidth maintained by major Internet carriers has been expanding at 75% to 125% per year. 

Will we see this in 2014?  

In turn, public and private networks are experiencing unprecedented end-user demand for bandwidth resulting in a need to cost-effectively scale the capacity of communications networks. We are starting to see that already. We'll keep you posted.

For all of your structured cabling needs in the Western Pacific, please contact GET, LLC for information on our solutions that can be of assistance to you and your respective businesses including access to the Panduit and Cisco line of products-of which we are proud Business Partners of both.  Give us a call at 671-483-0789 or find out our more at our website at www.get-guam.com.

A Look at Fiber Optic Converters

You learn something new every day. 

Did you know that ethernet over copper networks are limited to a data distance of only 100 meters (328ft) when using unshielded twisted pair (UTP) or sheilded twisted pair (STP) cable?  

By using an Ethernet to Fiber Optic Converter, fiber cabling can be used to extend data connections over a much greater distance. Ethernet to Fiber Optic Converters change Fast Ethernet or Gigabit UTP links to 100Base-FX or 1000Base-X fiber connections at distances of up to 100km on Single mode 9/125 fiber.

These converters can also be used in environments with high levels of electromagnetic interference (EMI) which is commonly found in industrial environments. This interference can cause corruption of data over copper Ethernet lines. However, data over fiber is immune to this type of noise. An Ethernet to Fiber Optic Converter enables you to inter-connect your copper Ethernet devices over fiber ensuring optimal data transmission across the entire long distance network.

Also, the transceiver used in an Ethernet to Fiber Optic Converter transforms the signal from a UTP/RJ45 Ethernet link to one that is light and can be used by a fiber optic cable. Media converters can connect to various fiber optic cable types such as multimode or single mode. Many different pre-made fiber lengths are available and are perfect for your Ethernet to fiber application.

If you need Fiber Converters, contact GET, LLC at 671-797-0789 or check out our website at www.get-guam.com for more information on the related products and services we provide-though our friends at Panduit or Fiber Optic Marketplace LLC. 

USB-It is Everything!

And just think-it was just like yesterday.  

In the mid 1990's the Universal Serial Bus (USB) protocol was developed to become the industry standard for connecting computers with electronic devices, transferring data and supplying power to keyboards, printers, digital cameras, disk drives, network adapters and smart phones. Nearly Two billion industry standard USB compatible devices are sold each year, as USB makes its way in to everything from the dashboard of the newer model cars to modern television and cable top boxes.

It was January 1996.  The USB 1.0 was released with data rates of 1.5Mb/s (Low-Bandwidth) and 12Mb/s (Full-Bandwidth). Did you know that the earliest versions of USB did not allow for the use of extension cables and other pass-through devices?  USB 2.0 (Hi-Speed) would be released in April 2001 and was capable of a much higher bandwidth (480Mb/s) at the time. Six months later the Mini-B connector was introduced, which greatly increased the ability to make smaller USB compatible devices that can connect to your PC. 

In late 2004 USB On-The-Go was added to the Hi-Speed spec. USB On-The-Go (often abbreviated USB OTG or just OTG) is a specification that allows USB devices such as digital audio players or mobile phones to act as a host, allowing other USB devices like a USB flash drive, mouse, or keyboard to be attached to them. 

Later, USB 3.0 (SuperSpeed) was introduced to the electronics market in November 2008. SuperSpeed USB cables are able to transfer a signal at 5Gb/s, greatly reducing data transfer time and reducing power consumption. While backwards compatible with USB 2.0 ports, USB 3.0 devices use new revised connectors. 

In January 2013 the USB group revealed in a press release plans to update USB 3.0 to 10Gb/s in order to equal Thunderbolt cable speeds. Soon most mobile devices will allow for USB 3.0 compatibility making the wait to transfer music, videos and photos to and from your computer a thing of the past.

If you need USB devices, contact GET, LLC at 671-797-0789 or check out our website at www.get-guam.com for more information on the related products and services we provide-though our friends at Panduit or Fiber Optic Marketplace LLC, if you don't see what you need just give us a call, and we can help get you connected at the highest speed possible for your devices.

Ethernet FAQ-Solid vs Stranded Cable

GET, LLC wraps up our look at the world of structured cabling for computer networks such as Ethernet and other high speed networking solutions. This particular blog post will examine the uses of solid versus stranded cable.

The term solid cable and stranded cable refers to the type of center conductor being used in Ethernet cable. Some stranded cable uses 7 smaller strands to make up one conductor that is specified to reach the American Wire Gauge (AWG) for that cable, whereas solid uses 1 single strand to make up 1 conductor to make up the specified AWG of the cable.

Solid Ethernet cable is great for "in-wall" applications. This solution excels at terminating to 110 and Krone type punch downs typically found in patch panels and keystones. Solid wire also offers better electrical performance, which is important for the longer runs typically found during "in-wall" installations.

Stranded cable is much more flexible and excels at being used as patch cables. This solution crimps easier to RJ45 connectors and is more resistant to breaking after repeated use and movement. Stranded cable  forms more easily than the more rigid solid cable.

For more on structured cabling solutions for your respective business or building, please give GET, LLC a call at 671-797-0789 or see our website at www.get-guam.com for more details on how we can be of assistance.

Ethernet FAQ-Unshielded versus Shielded Cable

GET, LLC continues our look at the world of structured cabling for computer networks. This blog post examines cable shielding.

Unshielded and shielded cables have a few deployment requirements that one should keep in mind when deciding which is best for your particular network. Experts argue that unshielded cable have an installation advantage over shielded cable.

Unshielded cable is smaller in size because it lacks a shield and is less fragile which is much better for repeated movement or disconnects from a network. Manufacturers say that such cabling will transmit at the same speeds as shielded and does not require that a ground be used to function properly. Unshielded is vulnerable to more noise on the line, but its helps negate this by the twists in the pairs.

Shielded cable is foil wrapped around the four twisted pairs and actually attracts more noise than unshielded. The difference is that it was designed to offload that noise down a ground wire and away from the twisted pairs. Shielded cable is designed to be used in any application where EMI (Electromagnetic Interferences) are high, such as heavy power lines or radar systems. Shielded cable will actually perform worse than unshielded if it is not installed and terminated correctly. This is because the shield actually attracts noise.  Network professionals say that it is vital that the ground be connected properly in order to offload that noise and keep it away from the data being transferred.

For more on a structured cabling solution for your respective business or facility, please give GET, LLC a call at 671-797-0789 or see our website at www.get-guam.com for more details on how we can be of assistance.

Ethernet FAQ-Cat5e v. Cat6 v. Cat6a

GET, LLC begins a look at the world of structured cabling for computer networks such as Ethernet and other high speed networking solutions. This blog post will examine specifications for the in-demand twisted pair cable and the signals that are carried across them.

Believe it or not-CAT5 is the fifth generation of twisted pair Ethernet technology and the most popular of all twisted pair cables in use today. Cat 6 and Cat6a have followed and is backward compatible with Cat5 standards.  But while all are wildly popular with network professionals, they all pose a down side for those seeking faster network bandwidth solutions.

One of the most misinterpreted specifications that customers and installers get hung up on is the megahertz (MHz) rating on Cat5e, Cat6 and Cat6a Cable.

Search for Cat5e cable and the most common rating you will see is 350MHz. There are two things wrong with this number. The Telecommunications Industry Association and the Electronic Industries Alliance specifies the electrical characteristics for a Cat5e cable to have a 100 Mhz bandwidth. So automatically any cable advertised above this number is not following the spec.

Then why do we see this number? Some have been using this number for so long that people have come accustomed to seeing 350 MHz bandwidth, and when it is not present, they question the quality of the cable. The truth of the matter is, yes, you probably can test most Cat5e cables to 350 MHz and beyond, but it means nothing past 100 MHZ. So to say that a Cat5e 350 MHz cable is better than a Cat5e 100 MHz cable is just marketing.

In much the same way, Cat6 cable is commonly seen advertised at 500 or 550 MHz, when the actual specification calls for Cat6 cable to be up to 250Mhz.

The official bandwidth specifications are as follows: Cat5/Cat5e 100 MHz, Cat6 250 MHz, Cat6a 500 MHz. Along those same lines, there is no such thing as "Cat5a", "Cat6e" and there is no official release for Cat7 or Cat7a in the USA yet. The data transfer rate on these cables is as follows: Cat5e and Cat6 are 1 Gb/s (Gigabits per second), Cat6a is 10 Gb/s.

For more on structured cabling solutions for your respective business or building, please give GET, LLC a call at 671-797-0789 or see our website at www.get-guam.com for more details on how we can be of assistance.