In most common use, server is a physical computer dedicated to running one or more such services (as a host), to serve the needs of users of the other computers on the network. Depending on the computing service that it offers it could be a database server, file server, mail server, print server, web server, gaming server, or some other kind of server.
In the context of Internet Protocol (IP) networking, a server is a program that operates as a socket listener.
Servers often provide essential services across a network, either to private users inside a large organization or to public users via the Internet.

iPad Mini Would Cannibalize Apple's Tablet Sales

If Apple launches a pint-sized version of its best selling iPad tablet, it could grab sales not only from competitors but from Apple itself.
Such sales cannibalization of existing iPad models would be minor and would be more than offset by the rewards to Apple for expanding its line, according to Brian White, an analyst with Topeka Capital Markets, who has been beating the drum about a smaller iPad since last fall when he coined the term iPad Mini for the gadget.
"We would expect the cannibalization of the current iPad by the 'iPad Mini' to be relatively minor and potentially in a range of just 10-20 percent, while the market opportunity could eventually be larger for the 'iPad Mini' given the growth trends in developing countries," White writes in a research note released Thursday.
White maintains that the Mini would be a hit in developing countries, like China. In the developed world it would also be popular with price-sensitive consumers, those who find  the smaller form more convenient, educators who will like the price -- expected around $250 -- and younger children who will find a smaller device easier to handle than a 10-inch tablet.
White also believes a market segment will develop for "two-iPad families." "[W]e would not be surprised if certain consumers end up owning both a regular-sized iPad and an 'iPad Mini,' swapping between the two devices for different occasions," he writes. White notes that iCloud further enables content on the two iPads to be automatically duplicated and easier to share among Apple devices.
Admittedly, the profit margins on a smaller iPad will likely be smaller than those of its Big Brother, but White contends that gap can be managed by omitting features from the Mini found in the larger iPad.
At $250, the Mini would still be more expensive than its $199 competitors, Google's Nexus 7 and Amazon's Kindle Fire, but White argues that the Mini would be a "higher quality" product that offers consumers an overall better experience than its competitors, as well as a robust ecosystem.
"Ultimately, we view the potential addition of the“iPad Mini” as a long-term positive for Apple’s iPad franchise and necessary to keep competitors from trying to control the lower price point segment of the market," he concludes.

Apple vs. Apple

While no company is enamored with undercutting the sales of existing products with new products, Apple has shown in the past that it will tolerate cannibalization if the Big Picture demands it. That was the case when it introduced the iPhone, which it knew would eat into iPod sales.
"It's better that Apple cannibalizes itself than anyone else cannibalizes Apple," observes Bob O'Donnell, IDC's research vice president for clients and displays. "You want your customers to use your stuff."
If cannibalization gives Apple domination of the total tablet market, then cannibalization is acceptable to the company. "I think Apple likes owning a market," O'Donnell adds.
"It's in strong control of the tablet market and if they do this, it will put incredible competitive pressure on everybody else," he says. O'Donnell says a $249 iPad Mini presents a strong challenge to $199 tablets are "because people would rather pay a few bucks more and get an iPad than to get something else."

 

Security

Security risks cannot be eliminated or prevented completely. However, effective risk management and assessment can significantly minimize the existing security risks. To minimize the amount of risk, it is important to understand that no single product can make an organization secure. True network security comes from a combination of products and services, combined with a thorough security policy and a commitment to adhere to that policy.

A security policy is a formal statement of the rules that users must adhere to when accessing technology and information assets. It can be as simple as an acceptable use policy, or can be several hundred pages in length, and detail every aspect of user connectivity and network usage procedures. A security policy should be the central point for how a network is secured, monitored, tested and improved upon. While most home users do not have a formal written security policy, as a network grows in size and scope, the importance of a defined security policy for all users increases drastically. Some things to include in a security policy are: identification and authentication policies, password policies, acceptable use policies, remote access policies, and incident handling procedures.

When a security policy is developed, it is necessary that all users of the network support and follow the security policy in order for it to be effective.

Secure Your Network

A Firewall is one of the most effective security tools available for protecting internal network users from external threats. A firewall resides between two or more networks and controls the traffic between them as well as helps prevent unauthorized access. Firewall products use various techniques for determining what is permitted or denied access to a network.
Packet Filtering - Prevents or allows access based on IP or MAC addresses.
Application / Web Site Filtering - Prevents or allows access based on the application. Websites can be blocked by specifying a website URL address or keywords.
Stateful Packet Inspection (SPI) - Incoming packets must be legitimate responses to requests from internal hosts. Unsolicited packets are blocked unless permitted specifically. SPI can also include the capability to recognize and filter out specific types of attacks such as DoS.

Social Engineering
Social engineering is a term that refers to the ability of something or someone to influence the behavior of a group of people. In the context of computer and network security Social Engineering refers to a collection of techniques used to deceive internal users into performing specific actions or revealing confidential information.

With these techniques, the attacker takes advantage of unsuspecting legitimate users to gain access to internal resources and private information, such as bank account numbers or passwords.

Social engineering attacks exploit the fact that users are generally considered one of the weakest links in security. Social engineers can be internal or external to the organization, but most often do not come face-to-face with their victims.

Three of the most commonly used techniques in social engineering are: pretexting, phishing, and vishing.

A Trojan horse is a non-self replicating program that is written to appear like a legitimate program, when in fact it is an attack tool. A Trojan horse relies upon its legitimate appearance to deceive the victim into initiating the program. It may be relatively harmless or can contain code that can damage the contents of the computer's hard drive. Trojans can also create a back door into a system allowing hackers to gain access.

A virus is a program that runs and spreads by modifying other programs or files. A virus cannot start by itself; it needs to be activated. Once activated, a virus may do nothing more than replicate itself and spread. Though simple, even this type of virus is dangerous as it can quickly use all available memory and bring a system to a halt. A more serious virus may be programmed to delete or corrupt specific files before spreading. Viruses can be transmitted via email attachments, downloaded files, instant messages or via diskette, CD or USB devices.

A worm is similar to a virus, but unlike a virus does not need to attach itself to an existing program. A worm uses the network to send copies of itself to any connected hosts. Worms can run independently and spread quickly. They do not necessarily require activation or human intervention. Self-spreading network worms can have a much greater impact than a single virus and can infect large parts of the Internet quickly.