It's All About The Pentiums

Successful negotiations - 7 easy steps

Whether you covet a new job, a raise, a business deal, a new car, some new bling, or need to rectify a problem with a loved one, the ability to play ‘deal maker’ is your secret weapon to achieving the result you want. In my opinion, one of the greatest strengths of very successful business people is their ability to out negotiate with others to achieve their desired result. Negotiating doesn’t need to be back and forth, point-counterpoint banter. I’ve found that the most proficient negotiators manage these conversations in such a way that the other party likely does not even know they are engaged in a bargaining process. The bottom line is simple: if there is something you want that is in someone else’s control, knowing how to negotiate will stack the odds in your favor. The key is to be tough but fair.

1. First and foremost, be prepared to walk away. This is single most
important strategy to getting what you want out of life. If you aren’t prepared to
say, “No” and mean it; then you are likely to end up settling for a lesser
outcome. Before entering into the negotiation, know in advance exactly what you
are and are not willing to concede, so that you do not need to process this
information on-the-fly without adequate time to weigh the pros and cons of
each.

2. Know when to forego all together. A good deal comes together quickly – a
bad deal takes way too long. Take a clue from the amount of time it’s taking to
get what you want. If you have to “force it,” chances are it will come back to bite
you later on.

3. Deal at the right level. Nothing is more frustrating than trying to do a deal
with an individual who can’t make the final decision. It’s like negotiating against
yourself – you address an issue and try to come to a conclusion and then the
other person takes that to someone else “behind the scenes” only to come back
and say it can’t be done on those terms. It’s far more efficient and effective to
find the right person to negotiate with directly, “(wo)mano y (wo)mano.”

4. Due diligence to come prepared. The more information you have
surrounding the circumstances of your endeavor, the “marketplace,” for example,
the more likely you are to not only prevail, but also get the best deal possible.
While you may actually prevail by shooting in the dark, not knowing the extent of
the opportunity could result in your leaving a lot on the table. Whether it’s the
average pay for a given job, the price typically paid for a product or a service, or
who you are in competition with for a new position – knowledge is truly power.

5. Don’t take anything personally. To maintain objectivity, treat every
negotiation as if you are doing a deal for someone else who has hired you as the
professional “closer.” When you allow yourself to get emotionally involved,
rational thought often goes by the wayside and you’re far more likely to concede
to your later regret. Cool heads get the best, and most, out of what they are
seeking.

6. Anticipate objections. Prior to the negotiation, brainstorm all the reasons or
objections that may prevent you from getting what you want – and prepare a
thoughtful counterpoint for each, one at a time. During a negotiation, people
conjure all sorts of reasons why something can’t be done, many of which are
often bogus. Until you know the valid sticking point, you are just spinning your
wheels.

7. Don’t underestimate Karma. What goes around indeed comes around. The
best deal is one where both parties walk away feeling positive about the result of
the negotiation. The worst deal is that where one side leaves the table feeling

Monitoring Physical Threats in the Data Center

Traditional methodologies for monitoring the data center environment are no longer sufficient. With technologies such as blade servers driving up cooling demands and regulations such as Sarbanes-Oxley driving up data security requirements, the physical environment in the data center must be watched more closely. While well understood protocols exist for monitoring physical devices such as UPS systems, computer room air conditioners, and fire suppression systems, there is a class of distributed monitoring points that is often ignored. This paper describes this class of threats, suggests approaches to deploying monitoring devices, and provides best practices in leveraging the collected data to reduce downtime.

download this e-book to readmore

INFORMATION ON VIRUS

1. How to create a sample file virus file ?

This particular codes is taken from www.eicar.org. It is meant for virus test file BUT it doesn't have any effect on your computer.

STEP 1
You can type this code below : X5O!P%@AP[4PZX54(P^)7CC)7}$EICAR-STANDARD-ANTIVIRUS-TEST-FILE!$H+H*

STEP 2
Save it into eicar.com.txt using notepad.

STEP 3
Rename this file to eicar.com, and your antivirus will detect this as a virus.

2. How to test this code HEURISTICALLY ?

You can change some of the codes as below :

Smith1.Txt
X5O!P%@AP[4PZX54(P^)7CC)7}$EICAR-STANDING-ANTIVIRUS-TEST-FILE!$H+H*
(Changed STANDARD to STANDING)

Smith2.Txt
X5O!P%@AP[4PZX54(P^)7CC)7}$EICON-STANDARD-ANTIVIRUS-TEST-FILE!$H+H*
(Changed Eicar to Eicon)

Smith3.Txt
X5O!P%@AP[4PZX54(P^)7CC)7}$EICON-STANDING-ANTIVIRUS-TEST-FILE!$H+H*
(Changed EICAR to EICON, and STANDARD to STANDING)

Smith4.Txt
X5O!P%@AP[4PZX54(P^)7CC)7}$BALLZ-STINDORK-ANTISACKS-TEST-FORK!$H+H*
(Random Words)

Smith5.Txt
X5O!P%@AP[4PZX54(P^)7CC)7}$!$H+H*
(Completely removed text string)

Smith6.Txt
X5O!P%@AP[42233PZX54(P^)7CC)7}$EICAR-STANDARD-ANTIVIRUS-TEST-FILE!$H+H*
(Additional Numbers added to binary)

Smith7.Txt
X5O!P%@AP[42233PZX54(P^)7CC)7}$RAIC-TARNDARD-ILIKESMOKE-TUST-FULE!$H+H*
(Inserted Random letters with addition numbers added into binary)

Smith8.Txt
X5O22!P%@AP[4PZX5422(P^)7CC)7}$!$H+H*
(Removed text string, inserted 22 twice into string to break up signature)

Command AV 4.90.4 Results:
Started scan: 6/14/2004 4:33:03 PM

C:DownloadsSmithTestSmith1.txt Infection: EICAR_Test_File.unknown?
C:DownloadsSmithTestSmith2.txt Infection: EICAR_Test_File (exact)
C:DownloadsSmithTestSmith3.txt Infection: EICAR_Test_File.unknown?
C:DownloadsSmithTestSmith4.txt Infection: EICAR_Test_File.unknown?
C:DownloadsSmithTestSmith5.txt Infection: New or modified variant of Trivial
C:DownloadsSmithTestSmith6.txt Infection: New or modified variant of Trivial
C:DownloadsSmithTestSmith7.txt Infection: New or modified variant of Trivial
C:DownloadsSmithTestSmith8.txt Infection: New or modified variant of Trivial

3. How antivirus works?

Antivirus scans all files (executables and non-executrable files) looking for a pattern or virus signature. If the pattern is found, then the file will be cleaned. The pattern is in HEX form e.g EA779078... (I juz make this one out for example sake).

Actual example of hex codes or sometimes known as footprint codes are listed below (NOTE: Ox means the number is in HEX format; so if 0x57 means 57 in hex)
(1) Stoned virus [stoned]
 0x00 0x53 0x41 0x52 0x06 0x56 0x57 0xbe
(2) Ping Pong virus - version B [Ping]
&nbsp0xa1 0xf5 0x81 0xa3 0xf5 0x7d 0x8b 0x36 0xf9 0x81
(3) Friday 13th virus [Fri13]
&nbsp0xb4 0x4f 0xcd 0x21 0x73 0xf7 0x58

Actually, a binary file (executable file) or document (e.g. MS Word document) can be read easily by opening the file with the flag 'rb' (read binary). You can see the content in HEX. You can try do a project to simulate the output like in Ethereal. If you read MS Word document, you can see it in ASCII or HEX, but if the file is already secured with a PASSWORD, then you cannot see anything that can be understood.

You can also see the content of a file easily by downloading a free software called FileAnalyzer, very easy to use and I recommend that u try it.

SUN TZU'S ART OF WAR

1. "All warfare is based on deception. Therefore, when capable pretend to be incapable; when active, inactive; when near, make the enemy believe that you are far away; when far away, that you are near."
2. "Hold out baits to lure the enemy; feign disorder and strike him. When he has the advantageous position, prepare against him; when he is strong, avoid him. If he is prone to choleric temper, irritate him."
3. "Victory is the main objective in war. If this is long delayed, weapons will be blunt and the ardour of the soldiers will be dampened."
4. "Fighting to win one hundred victories in one hundred battles is not the supreme skill. However to the enemy's resistance without fighting is the supreme skill."
5. "A general is like the spoke of a wheel. If the connection is tight and complete, the wheel will be strong and so will the state; if the connection is defective, then the state will be weak." - to make decision, you MUST have a lot of CONCRETE data/information.
6. "If you know yourself and know your enemy; in a hundred battles you will never fear the result. When you you know yourself but not your enemy, your chances of winning and losing are equal. If you know neiher yourself nor your enemy, you are certain to be in danger in every battle."