Every time you turn around nowadays, you are either hearing about cyber security problems or you are experiencing them first hand. There are several possible problems, from stopping worms, to shielding your assets from dangerous insider threats, to patching Windows machines.

In the field of networking, the specialist area of cyber security consists of the provisions made in an underlying computer network infrastructure, policies adopted by the network administrator to protect the network and network-accessible resources from unauthorized access, and consistent and continuous monitoring and measurement of its effectiveness (or lack thereof) combined together.

There have been several new developments in the war to protect our cyber security, including a plan that was issued from the White House, which outlines the reduction of cyber security vulnerabilities and the hopeful improvement of online privacy protection.

Your ultimate cyber security protection: What would it consist of?

It is very likely that if the already-existing cyber security issues did not exist and if money were no object, technologists would be able to invent the ultimate in cyber security technology. In fact, an agency called the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has announced the roll out of a program called the Clean-Slate Design of Resilient, Adaptive, Secure Hosts (CRASH), which will rely heavily on human biology to create highly adaptive, exceptionally smart, extraordinarily secure networks.

A new and unique cyber security algorithm

Pennsylvania State University’s researchers have announced that they created an algorithm that is capable of blocking the spread of self-propagating worms on corporate networks while maintaining the online connection of infected machines so that they can continue to carry on with their proper duties.

Difficulty detecting hackers

Many corporate networks are not really vigilant about watching their security systems once they are in place. It is a costly thing to watch the network and security system and there are many instances of false positives. That is why attacks from the inside are extremely difficult to detect and they often go unnoticed for a long period of time. Frequently, hackers are successful in infiltrating an organization deeply. It is difficult to tell the difference between legitimate activities and illegitimate activities.

How important is network security?

Network security is at the top of the priority list for corporate networking executives. What that translates into is that companies must stay on top of technology to ensure that there is adequate network protection.  

Microsoft has stepped up its efforts to share its internal secure development lifecycle (SDL) practice with the rest of the industry. If all companies were to adopt this practice, it would drastically reduce the number of vulnerabilities as well as promoting ongoing improvements.

Netbooks were first introduced in 2008, they took the world by storm and now the decision what computer to buy becomes even more difficult. An analysis of the pros and cons of netbooks and laptops concludes that each type of computer is appropriate for a particular purpose.

You need to understand the purpose of the computer

Netbooks, laptops and desktops all have pluses and minuses. The pluses and minuses are very subjective and depending on the intended use of the computer, the importance of the hardware may range from critical, to minor, to completely negligible.

With that in mind, the first thing that you need to do is decide exactly what you will be using computer for. After you have made that decision, it will be easier to see which of the three types of computers suits your needs the best.

The advantages of Netbooks

Netbooks are laptop computers that are extremely easy to carry around with you and they have many advantages, such as:

• Small size: 10” netbooks, as well as 7” ones, are tiny. They take up very little space and can even fit easily in a handbag.
   
• Light weight: A 10-lb laptop can be easily carried around by a 300-lb male; however, for many people, that is still a lot of weight, especially if there are other items in the bag as well.
   
• Inexpensive: The low price is another major advantage of netbooks. Potentially, high-end n etbooks could cost as much as a low-end/average-priced laptop; however, netbooks are usually less expensive than laptops and desktops.

The disadvantages of Netbooks

Netbooks are very specialized computer systems. They are compact, inexpensive and have very long running times. Of course, a computer’s (any type of computer) processing parts are critical to its performance. In order to achieve high performance through those parts, the manufacturers of netbooks had to make several sacrifices.

• Processors must be slower and have fewer cores, which renders them incapable of running certain applications and slower at others.
   
• The majority of netbooks run on an Intel Atom processor, a small percentage use VIA processors, and the few that ran on processors from Texas Instruments and ARM have faded out.
   
• DVD drives have been completely removed, which prevents playback of CDs or DVDs and which makes it difficult to install store-bought software.
   
• Netbooks are limited in the amount of memory and storage space that they can have by the Microsoft operating system licenses. Netbooks usually are shipped with 1GB of memory, while bigger laptops usually come with 3GB and 4GB.

Only you can decide

You need to decide on which advantages and disadvantages of netbooks and laptops matter in the particular situation that is relevant to you. The netbook disadvantages would not be a good choice for you if the netbook will be the only computer in your household. Although netbooks are fine for basic web browsing, email and word processing, they don’t really have any capability when it comes to multimedia applications, including graphics, video and even some audio. If you are considering purchasing an inexpensive laptop, it would probably be worth it for you to spend a little more money on the computer and also compromise a little when it comes to the computer’s portability. If price isn't an option but size is, you may also want to consider as an option an ultraportable laptop with more capabilities.

However, if the intended use of the netbook is as a secondary computer to supplement either a desktop computer or larger laptop computer, a netbook is a sensible economic option for when you travel. The small size and long battery life of netbooks make them very useful as machines on the go to access the internet through open Wi-Fi hotspots from hotels, airports and coffee shops. In the long run, it may actually be less expensive to purchase a full desktop PC and a netbook than a specialized high-performance laptop computer.