vpnsite.net

Introduction To ISDN, Part III: Configuring PPP PAP Authentication

Now we know how the ISDN link comes up (interesting traffic), and some scenarios that might cause the link to stay up, we need to look at ISDN authentication schemes. The two methods Cisco certification candidates must be familiar with are PAP and CHAP.

Password Authentication Protocol (PAP) sends the username and password over the ISDN link in clear-text. Sending any passwords over any WAN link in clear-text is generally a bad idea, but it’s important to know you have this option.

Regarding both PAP and CHAP, it’s a common misunderstanding that each side must authenticate the other. PAP and CHAP both support bidirectional and unidirectional authentication; that is, R1 can authenticate R2 without R2 necessarily authenticating R1. It’s more common to use unidirectional authentication in a lab environment than a production network, but keep in mind that bidirectional authentication is an option, not a requirement.

The configurations of PAP and CHAP do have their similarities. For both, you’ll configure a username/password combination in global configuration mode. Newcomers to ISDN sometimes put the local router name in for the username; remember that the remote router name is the username.

The only real advantage of PAP over CHAP comes in the password configuration. Since PAP actually sends the password as a whole over the link, the two routers can send different passwords during authentication. The operation of CHAP requires that both routers use the same password, and we’ll see why in tomorrow’s article.

Under the BRI interface, you’ll enter encapsulation ppp and ppp authentication pap. So far, your authentication scheme looks like this:

username R2 password CCNA

Int bri0

encapsulation ppp

ppp authentication pap

PAP requires an extra command at this point. The ppp pap sent-username command is required under the interface, indicating the username and password this router will be sending to the remote router.

Int bri0

encapsulation ppp

ppp authentication pap

ppp pap sent-username R1 password CISCO

I always encourage CCNA and CCNP candidates to use as many debugs as possible when working in their lab, since these commands show us how things work. For any PPP authentication, always run debug ppp negotiation before sending interesting traffic to trigger the call. Watching exactly how PAP and CHAP work give you a much better understanding of what’s going on “behind the command”, and makes you a stronger candidate and a stronger networking engineer.

Tomorrow, we’ll take a look at CHAP, and why routers cannot use the same password on both ends of the link.

Keep studying!

Chris Bryant, CCIE #12933, is the owner of The Bryant Advantage, home of free CCNA and CCNP tutorials, The Ultimate CCNA Study Package, and Ultimate CCNP Study Packages.
For a FREE copy of his latest e-books, “How To Pass The CCNA” and “How To Pass The CCNP”, visit the website and download your free copies. You can also get FREE CCNA and CCNP exam questions every day! Pass the CCNA exam with The Bryant Advantage!

[tags]isdn,cisco,pap,ccna,ccnp,cisco certrification,developers,computer trechs,network tech, chris, bryant[/tags]

Do you own a keychain USB jump-drive, a PDA, or an
all-in-one mobile communications device? If you do, what
type of information do you store on it? Many people would
say there is nothing important stored on their mobile
device. Many of our customers initially state there is
nothing on the computer network that hackers would want or a
virus could irreparably damage.

I want to start out this article with a couple real-life
stories about why it is so important to make sure your
mobile devices are secure.

Panic Over Lost Jump-Drive
About a year ago, a business acquaintance contacted me in a
panic. Apparently, he was onsite performing an internal
security audit for a rather large company, and had lost or
misplaced his keychain USB Jump-Drive. At first, I was not
sure of why he was in such a panic. That is, until he told
me the drive contained approximately 300Mb of security
information minded from a previous security audit he
performed. He was scared out of his wits that this
information would fall into the wrong hands, not to mention
the hands of his new client. What would his new client think
if they found he was walking around with this information on
a device that anyone4 could gain access too. Would he do the
same thing with their information? Lucky, after retracing
his steps in the building, he found on the floor of the
men’s room. He apparently pulled out his keys and the
jump-drive came off the keychain. He no longer carries his
jump-drive around with him.

Confidential Client Information Lost In Snow Storm
On another occasion, someone quite close to me, dropped his
Toshiba PDA somewhere between his car and food store. Not to
big of a deal, except for the fact that there was about one
foot of snow on the ground. He spent the next three hours
drudging through the snow looking for the PDA. Besides the
fact that it was not an inexpensive PDA, it contained his
entire client list, personal online accounts with user-id’s
and passwords, and several other categories of highly
confidential information.

In both the cases above, neither of these people had given
much thought to the loss of these devices. Why should they?
They were both experienced professionals in the information
technology business and very careful and conscious about
keeping information secure. The problem is, their both
human. And humans make mistakes an erroneous judgment
calls.

How To Secure Mobile Devices
Because there a so many types of mobile storage and
communications devices, there are many ways to secure them.
So, I will stick to what I do to secure the above mentioned
devices since I happen to use both types.

I use 1GB USB 2.0 Jump Drive to store and transfer many
types of information. Sometimes, this includes confidential
information. For instance, when I travel, I have a copy of
my account database on the device. However, the device
file-system itself is heavily encrypted, and the database
stored on the encrypted file-system, is encrypted. If I
happen to misplace this device, I am more than confident (at
least at this point time) that the data is protected and not
easily accessible. Now, nothing substitutes for not carrying
around this type of information to begin with, but it is
safer than carrying around a printout of the excel
spreadsheet you keep you passwords in.

As far mobile communications. I don’t know what I would do
without my mobile phone. It has replaced my PDA, has
unlimited internet access, a VPN client so I can retrieve my
mail without having to use a separate service (more $), a
1GB storage card, camera and so on. The primary thing that
this device stores that is confidential, is my contact list.
There are other items I don’t want just anyone to have
access too as well. Not to mention using my phone (more $).
So, the storage card is encrypted, and that is where my
important data is kept. The device itself is password
protected with and eight character key that meets or exceeds
standard complexity rules. And, the mail client itself
requires authentication in order to use it.

Conclusion
If you use mobile devices on a regular basis, I suggest you
sit down and think about exactly what you store on them. It
is sometimes easy to overlook these things or under estimate
exactly how private or confidential certain information is
or should be. Make sure you take reasonable steps to keep
the information stored on mobile devices secure and private.
It is definitely a balancing act between security and easy
of use.

And, what ever you do, don’t leave your mobile device in the
men’s room.

You may reprint or publish this article free of charge as long as
the bylines are included.

Original URL (The Web version of the article)
http://www.defendingthenet.com/newsletters/IsYourMobileDeviceSecure.htm

About The Author

————
Darren Miller is an Information Security Consultant with
over sixteen years experience. He has written many
technology & security articles, some of which have been
published in nationally circulated magazines & periodicals.
If you would like to contact Darren you can e-mail him at
Darren.Miller@ParaLogic.Net. If you would like to know
more about computer security please
visit us at http://www.defendingthenet.com.

[tags]mobile device, Jump-Drive Security, PDA Security, Cell-Phone Security, Mobile Device Security[/tags]

You can easily determine the speed of your internet connection bandwidth by using websites that offer free bandwidth tests. But do these sites really measure the ‘real-time’ performance of your web connection? Read on to understand how bandwidth tests really work, and bust the misconceptions you have about them.

Understanding bandwidth tests

A bandwidth test is actually a program that measures your internet speed by sending one or more files of predetermined size over a network to your computer. It then measures the time it takes for your computer to download the sent file. The result - which is the measure of your internet speed - is a figure expressed in either kilobits per second (kbps) or megabits per second (mbps).

Remember that figures resulting from bandwidth tests are only ‘theoretical’ - they may fluctuate greatly because of several factors, the most common of which is change in internet traffic. As more log on to the internet using the same internet service provider as yours, for example, speed decreases. The size of the file sent by the bandwidth tester also has an effect on the result - try another bandwidth tester that sends smaller files and you might get a higher speed figure. Also, if many people were using the bandwidth test server at the time of your test, your results may be compromised.

How do you get accurate bandwidth test results?

The only way to get a more accurate bandwidth speed result is to repeat the test over and over, using different sites, if you can. Some experts say that you should conduct the test at least six times in four or more different sites. List down all the results of each bandwidth test from the highest to the lowest. Disregard the top and bottom third of the list and concentrate on the middle figures. Average these figures, and you get a pretty accurate figure representing your normal internet speed.

Bandwidth provides detailed information on Bandwidth, Bandwidth Tests, Bandwidth Management, Bandwidth Meters and more. Bandwidth is affiliated with Colocation Hosting.

[tags]Bandwidth, Bandwidth Tests, Bandwidth Management, Bandwidth Meters[/tags]

BUYING A WIRELESS ROUTER

You might be asking what features should I look for in a wireless router. You will have to ask yourself some questions first.

1. Do you currently have a 802.11b or 802.11g wireless adapter?

2. Do you want to connect remotely to your office network?

3. Do you live in an apartment or house?

4. What security features are you looking for?

5. Do you have desktop computers to connect also?

If you currently have a 802.11g wireless adapter you will want to purchase a 802.11g wireless router so you can maximize your network speed at 54mbps. 802.11g adapters will also connect to 802.11b wireless routers but you will only have a network speed of 11mbps. This speed you still be fine for the majority of users, most public wireless access points use 802.11b.

Connecting securely to your home office will require a technology called a VPN or virtual private network. Most routers will claim to have the ability to use VPN’s but when you attempt to connect you receive nothing buy errors. So you will want to purchase a wireless router that will specifically designed for wireless and VPN technology. Once you have purchased your wireless router you need to get the latest firmware updates from the manufacture.

Wireless router security could fill up volumes so I will keep it as “simple” as possible. The following are some basic features that are on most routers:

1. Disabling SSID broadcasting

2. Change your default SSID

3. Enable WEP encryption

4. Enable MAC address filtering

If you enable the above you will discourage most “hackers” from even looking at your wieless network. There are too many wide open networks that don’t need any brainwork to get into.

The following are some of the more advanced Security features on newer routers with updated firmware.

1. WPA - WPA is the solution to all of WEP’s security flaws. WEP uses one key to for all network traffic. A hacker can exploit this by using a network analyzer to capture the key. WPA changes the key with every data frame so once a hacker captures the key it has already been changed by WPA. WPA uses tools such as TKIP and AES encryption.

2. WPA-PSK (Wireless Protected Area pre shared key) This is really easy to set up just copy your shared key to router and adapter and your set.

3. TKIP - The second best version of encryption for WPA

4. AES - This is the highest version of encryption for WPA

5. WPA -RADIUS uses a RADIUS server to authenticate users which adds another layer of security. Linksys does offer a service to for $5.00 month per user to use their RADIUS server. If you have no clue what you just read then don’t worry about it.

Wired security will include NAT ( Network Address Translation) this takes your public IP address and converts it into multiple private IP addresses. Some people consider this a firewall but it isn’t because it doesn’t block unwanted outgoing addresses.

Another newer feature is Called MIMO (Multi in Multi out) the basic concept of this your router or access point has more that just two antennas which enables your router to receive and send information at a greater rate. This creates signal reflections which could reduce dead spots in your network. Add on top of this SRX technology will automatically have your router switch to the clearest channel instead of staying on a channel with interference. The above will increase your range greatly and the increase the power of your signal.

Another router feature is POE (Power over Ethernet) this is a really good feature for business environment because you power your router through the Ethernet cable, which means you don’t need a power outlet.

One feature which is often over looked but one of the coolest features of a wireless router or access point is the ability of act as a wireless bridge. If you have a huge ware house and you need to connect computers on either end of the warehouse you can use a wireless bridge to connect both ends with out running wires.

The main things to remember are: 802.11g is faster than 802.11b, enable the basic security features and finally choose the router that will fit your needs.

Join the most popular wireless networking newsletter on planet. Receive the inside scoop on wireless technolgy for the work place and home http://www.wirelessninja.com

[tags]wireless router, wireless networking, wireless access point, wireless adapter, wireless[/tags]

What is Broadband

Broadband can be described as a way to share information or any chunks of data that lies on the vast network known as the internet. The term ‘Broadband’ explains the method that is used in conjunction with this data in order for it to be sent and retrieved. In short and easy terms, you could explain broadband by saying that it was the prime successor of dialup modems. During the dawn of the internet, where houses were beginning to get connected using first-generation modems, these little box would allow a transfer that varied between a couple of kilobytes per second to around fifty kilobytes per second; with broadband, these transfers can vary from hundreds of kilobytes per second to literally thousands of kilobytes per second. Seeing the net amelioration in data transfer, it was quite comprehensible that many companies wanted to get control over this new technology. No single company was able to grab the title of ‘monopoly,’ thus every one of them were able to keep on existing (which could not have beenpossible through a monopoly) and altogether, we can classify this group of companies as the Broadband Marketplace.

What does the Broadband Marketplace do?

An easy way to define a Broadband Marketplace is to think of it as a giant mall where you can go shop for the broadband distributor of your choice, instead of having to deal with a single company that controls all of the market. A very good point about having a group of providers instead of a single entity is the resulting war that will ensue between them. Providers will obviously try to get as many subscribers as possible, and to do so, they will have to attract you in any means necessary; this resulting feud means that you can look around for rebates, bonus, referral programs and many innovative market stunts that they will offer, all will be in the customers advantage. Below, you will see some points that tackle this so-called marketplace, as well as tell you what you should be looking for aside from the cheapest provider available.

Which Broadband Provider is the best?

Sometime, we look at similar products and we make our choice based solely on one aspect, the price. As far as it goes, selecting the cheapest service is a valid way to pick a provider, but it is probably not the best.

Connection Speed

When you are browsing through websites or downloading content, data packets are transferred from your computer to the location of those packets. The transfer rate should vary from 256 kilobytes per second to 1.5 megabytes per second and the higher the number is, the better it is for you (while taking in consideration that 1.5Megs is the highest of the two, as it is close to 1500 kilobytes per second.) As well, some Broadband provider may have a clause in which they reinforce a cap or transfer limit in which you cannot download more than the said limit per month. Depending on your activities, you may ask tech-savvy friends if the imposed limit of a provider is enough for you.

Service

Just like every other service out there, your internet connection is bound to come face to face with trouble; when those time arise, you will undoubtedly have to call your provider’s customer service. Be sure that the provider that you select has a good reputation when it comes to customer service, as there’s nothing worst for you than having trouble with your line, and have someone on the tech support that is not being helpful to you.

Learn more about broadband marketplace.

Gold Rush offers individuals challenging opportunities within the booming e-commerce industry.

[tags]broadband, broadband marketplace, broadband connection, broadband speed, broadband provider[/tags]

In two sentences or less, what is Merlin Magix System?

Merlin Magix System is comprehensive communications system, loaded with
the advanced features that your business needs.



What, exactly, does that mean?

That Merlin Magix System gives your company a public branch exchange (PBX)
that can support both traditional and IP phones.



What types of companies would benefit from Merlin Magix System?

Primarily smaller and mid- sized ones: ones that are looking for a system
providing up to 80 lines and 200 extensions.



Could you say, give me a little more information?

No problem. Merlin Magix System is designed for the small company who
wants the very best communications system; the company who wants a network
with up- to- date, advanced features.



Merlin Magix System is also an excellent fit for larger companies looking to outfit
their branch offices.



What makes Merlin Magix System an excellent choice?

All of the advanced features you could ask for in a communications system:
full communications capabilities, comprehensive messaging capabilities, integrated
network access, and enhanced mobility. And Merlin Magix System is incredibly easy
to use and maintain.



Those all sound highly technical; what does comprehensive messaging
capabilities mean?

It refers to the unified messaging application: Merlin Magix System combines
both voice and e- mail messages, and you can manage those messages using your
internet browser.



What makes Merlin Magix System so easy to use?

You program the system using Microsoft Windows- based System
Programming and Maintenance (WinSPM) software. WinSPM is very user- friendly:
the application provides detailed information on the status of your network,
presented in graphical format that’s easy to read and understand. By using WinSPM,
you able to get a comprehensive picture of how your Merlin Magix System network
is running.



Additionally, WinSPM allows you to manage your network around the world.



My company is relatively new, and we don’t have tons of extra money. Can using
Merlin Magix System save money?

It sure can; Merlin Magix System simplifies and streamlines network
administration and maintenance, which can definitely save time and money.



What are some other benefits of having a network powered by Merlin Magix
System?

-Your network can be easily upgraded and enhanced to give your company the
most advanced, powerful network available.

-Merlin Magix System is flexible and scalable; it can met the evolving needs of you
company.

-Networks powered by Merlin Magix System are compatible with both traditional
and IP phones.

Cameron Elliott is an Telephony specialist at avaya voip phone systems where he extols the benefits of Avaya
Phone Systems

[tags]Avaya, phone systems, telephony, merlin magix, communications, business[/tags]

SyncUp, a file synchronizer is designed to assist the home and advanced users. The product has a simple and familiar windows explorer type interface for easy file handling. Further, the Scan Results provides a detailed preview of the files for synchronization.

SyncUp has a flexible filter system to facilitate the user to change the sync direction, copy and delete files etc. while processing the synchronization. With scheduler the user can automate the process of synchronization in the background at any specified date and time. It also allows the user to set multiple schedules for a single profile.

It allows you to synchronize files or folders from the Source location to Update location of the same hard drive, another hard drive, mapped network or across any removable media and vice-versa. It also lets you to synchronize files/folders between two PCs by using any one of the following cables: Parallel cable, Direct Crossover cable, Network LAN or US.

Experience the features:

In this paper we will cover the basics on Address Resolution Protocol (ARP), Media Access Control Addresses (MAC), Wireless (WiFi), and layer 2 communications. I hope to explain how a “Man in the Middle Attack” works. The common name for this is ARP poisoning, MAC poisoning, or Spoofing. Before we can get into how the poisoning works we need to learn about how the OSI model works and what happens at layer 2 of the OSI Model. To keep this basic we will only scratch the surface on the OSI model to get the idea of how protocols work and communicate with each other.

The OSI (open
Systems interconnection) model was developed by the International Standards
Organization (ISO) in 1984 in an attempt to provide some standard to the way
networking should work. It is a theoretical layered model in which the notion of
networking is divided into several layers, each of which defines specific functions and/or
features. However this model is only general guidelines for developing usable network
interfaces and protocols. Sometimes it may become very difficult to distinguish between
each layer as some vendors do not adhere to the model completely. Despite all this the
OSI model has earned the honor of being “the model” upon which all good network
protocols are based.

The OSI Model

The OSI Model is based upon 7 layers (Application layer, Presentation Layer, Session
Layer, Transport Layer, Network Layer, Data Link Layer and the Physical layer). For our
proposes we will review layer 2 (data link layer), Data Link layer defines the format of
data on the network. A network data frame, aka packet, includes checksum, source and
destination address, and data. The data link layer handles the physical and logical
connections to the packet’s destination, using a network interface. A host connected to an
Ethernet network would have an Ethernet interface (NIC) to handle connections to the
outside world, and a loop back interface to send packets to itself.

Ethernet addressing
uses a unique, 48-bit address called its Ethernet address or Media Access Control (MAC)
address. MAC addresses are usually represented as six colon-separated pairs of hex
digits, e.g., 8A:0B:20:11:AC:85. This number is unique and is associated with a
particular Ethernet device. The data link layer’s protocol-specific header specifies the
MAC address of the packet’s source and destination. When a packet is sent to all hosts
(broadcast), a special MAC address (ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff) is used. Now with this concept
covered we need to explain what APR is and how is corresponds to the MAC address.

The Address Resolution Protocol is used to dynamically discover the mapping between a
layer 3 (protocol) and a layer 2 (hardware) address. ARP is used to dynamically build and
maintain a mapping database between link local layer 2 addresses and layer 3 addresses.
In the common case this table is for mapping Ethernet to IP addresses. This database is
called the ARP Table. The ARP Table is the true source when it comes to routing traffic
on a Switch (layer 2 device).

ARP Table

Now that we have explored MAC addresses and APR Tables we need to talk about
poisoning. APR Poisoning; also referred to as ARP poison routing (APR), ARP cache
poisoning, & spoofing. A method of attacking an Ethernet LAN by updating the target
computer’s ARP cache/table with both a forged ARP request and reply packets in an
effort to change the Layer 2 Ethernet MAC address (i.e., the address of the network card)
to one that the attacker can monitor.

The Attack

Because the ARP replies have been forged, the target computer sends frames that were
meant for the original destination to the attacker’s computer first so the frames can be
read. A successful APR attempt is invisible to the user. Since the end user never sees the
ARP poisoning they will surf online like normal while the attacker is collecting data from
the session. The data collected can be passwords to e-mail, banking accounts, or
websites. This kind of attack is also known as “Man in the Middle Attack”. This kind of
attack basically works like this: attackers PC sends poisoned ARP request to the gateway
device (router), The gateway device now thinks the route to any PC on the subnet needs
to go though the attackers PC. All hosts on the subnet thinks the attackers IP/MAC is the
gateway and they send all traffic though that computer and the attacking PC forwards the
data to the gateway. So what you end up having is one PC (attacker) sees all traffic on the
network. If this attach is aimed at one user the Attack can just spoof the victims MAC to
his own and only affect
that MAC on the subnet. Keep in mind that the gateway (router)
is designed to have lager routing tables and many sessions connected to it at once. Most
PC’s can not handle too many routes and sessions so the attackers PC has to be a fast PC
(this depends on the volume of traffic on the subnet) to keep up with the flow of data. In
some cases a network can crash or freeze if the attacker’s PC is unable to route the data
effectively. The network Crashes because the number packets dropping due to the fact the
Attackers PC is unable to keep up with the flow of data.

Wardriving Anyone?

Now a lot of people think there safe because there home network is inside there house.
Well this is not true you first should always have a firewall on any internet connection.
An attacker can just as easy spoof the ISP’s devices (Cable modem or DLS router) to get
all your out bound data. If you are using wireless remember to setup encryption or you
have just invited Attackers into you home with no firewall to block them. I have drove in
many cities with my wireless card on seeing over 60% of all AP’s open with no security.
There is a sport called Wardriving witch involves driving in your car with a wireless
network card to find wireless networks. Most Wardrivers do not get onto the networks
they find but they do document them (normally with GPS). The idea behind Wardriving
is just to see how many AP’s you can find and this sport has caught on big in the US. It
would be very easy to get an IP on a Wireless network and then ARP Poison the subnet.

This can be done in less than 2 minutes on an open wireless access point. Once the
attacker is on your subnet they can start receiving all your data so if you buy anything
online the attacker now has you credit card info. There are ways to prevent this kind of
attack but most switches are vulnerable to this kind of attack. To prevent ARP Poisoning
you need a Switch that supports security features and most vendors’ equipment can
handle this but theses kinds of switch devices normally cost more money. Keep in mind
that there are many free tools on the internet that perform ARP Poisoning/Spoofing. It is
not hard to use the tools and with more and more home users going wireless the risk of an
attacker getting you data keeps rising. The best thing to do for protection is to understand
the basics of your network and if you want wireless make sure you have WEP enabled.

The Good Guys

So far we have covered how attackers use APR Poisoning to intercept user’s data but
there are also good reasons to ARP Poison a network. Most network engineers need to
sniff the protocols on a network to make sure the data is flowing correct. The problem
with sniffing on a switch network is that you can only see data bound to your interface
and broadcast traffic. On unmanageable switches there is no way to see all host traffic to
inspect it. With ARP Poisoning you can now divert all traffic to pass though the sniffers
interface and see all data on the network and analyze the traffic for possible issues.

Admins & Engineers maybe trouble shooting speed issues on a subnet and need to see all
the traffic. Once you spoof the subnet to sniff the traffic you will be able to see if viruses
or a bad NIC card is causing a broadcast storm on the subnet. With any tool there are
always good and bad uses and the thing to remember is be careful of what you do online
line because anyone could be monitoring you. If you have any question about poisoning
feel free to send me an e-mail at slimjim100@gmail.com.

By Slimjim100 (Brian Wilson)

http://www.middlegeorgia.org
http://www.middlegeorgia.info

[tags]Slimjim100, Cracking, WiFi, ARP, Networking, Switch, Hacking, Security, Virus, Help, Computers[/tags]

In order to gain the trust of your customers, you need to plan in advance for IT service agreements. Important items such as clear benefits and prices will help you sell IT service agreements to future clients.

Rate Cards

A rate card is simply a short, one-page sheet that displays your typical prices in contrast to prices you offer under IT service agreements. This is your chance to display a marketing summary of your benefits. You should brainstorm at the very least six benefits to signing IT service agreements instead of paying hourly.

Most important is that you know what you are doing well before you go on the sales call and communicate absolute professionalism. You will want to offer IT service agreements for smaller clients that only cost a couple hundred dollars per month. For slightly larger clients, $800 to $1000 is a competitive rate, whereas the biggest clients will expect to pay $2,500 monthly.

Traveling Distance

If you typically serve customers that fall within 10 to 15 miles away, you might have to expand your reach. Most of your competitors will be happy traveling 45 minutes to an hour outside their immediate range, and you will have to find a way that economically lets you do the same. You are acting reasonably if you charge for travel time, a VAN charge or a fixed charge for showing up. These extras will compensate for some of your travel time, gas and transportation expenses. Minimums can also be enforced, which can range from one hour up to a half-day’s worth of rates.

Small Businesses And It Service Agreements

Solid small business accounts are the lifeblood of your company. You would have to have a couple hundred home networking customers to equal 10 or 15 IT service contracts purchased by small businesses. Since all customers expect the same service, whether they are paying you $300 a year or $300 a week, it is more worth your time and effort to find small business customers that will purchase IT service agreements with you and spend regularly. With these types of regular customers, you will be able to give the best service and response time.

Copyright MMI-MMVII, PC Support Tips .com. All Worldwide Rights Reserved. {Attention Publishers: Live hyperlink in author resource box required for copyright compliance}

Joshua Feinberg helps small business technology providers get more steady, high-paying PC support clients. Sign-up now to get your free access to Joshua’s field-tested, proven secrets for generating more monthly recurring service-contract-revenue with PC Support Tips.

[tags]IT Service Agreements, IT service agreement[/tags]

Purchase-to-pay cycle starts with purchase, logistics, inspection, production and pay. Supply chain management integrates all of these functions, keeping at the same time, the vendor-user role in a collaborative mode. In a collaborative environment, the role of supplier is not just restricted to supply materials, but to proactively manage inventory of the user and also a participatory in new product development.

SCM software allows supplier collaboration in all areas of life cycle of the product. Increased globalization and competition have necessitated the firm to concentrate on core competency and therefore modular production enables the firm to outsource certain activities in the production process to the suppliers. The suppliers move forward in the supply chain. The suppliers have a say in the design process and have access to the design documents.

An increased competition forces a firm to have more number of demand and sales forecasts. The higher the forecasts, the lesser the inventory and this information, when it flows along the chain, increases the efficiency of the system. The software allows for transparency by linking the system with that of the vendor’s and allowing document exchange.

SCM software can also be enabled through web browsers. The web based system integrates electronic commerce by allowing buy and sell transactions. It may also contain purchasing tools such as auctions and reverse auctions. This can support a multitude of suppliers in a real time network. There are number of players providing ERP solutions such as SAP, Oracle and many other small players.

SCM software encompasses all other software and individual modules of purchasing, shipping, logistics and inventory management. The high costs involved in the implementation of this software prohibit small and medium enterprises from installing it. As with any other software, implementation will not alone save costs. The attitudinal change of the end users and the top management commitment is required for successful results.

Purchasing Software provides detailed information on E-Procurement Software, Purchasing Consultants, Purchasing Management Software, Purchasing Outsourcing and more. Purchasing Software is affiliated with Free Budgeting Software.

[tags]E-Procurement Software, Purchasing Consultants, Purchasing Management Software, Purchasing Outsourci[/tags]