Let us check the Differential and Incremental type of back up today.

Differential Back Up

Differential back up is another kind of back up where only files that have been modified will be backed up. This is quite useful as most of the information backed up is not a repeat of the earlier backups, which help in reducing backup memory usage. However this is not the Ideal method as files that have seen minor changes also will be backed up fully. This is generally performed on File/Print servers but may not be useful in application servers where multiple changes are made to documents everyday.

Incremental Back-Up

Incremental back ups are the most desired among the back up methods. Incremental Backups are performed on servers using automated agents that can identify portions of very large files that have been modified. Only the modified portions of these files are extracted and are backed up. This results in using minimum memory space for the back up process as only very little content may have to be added. Assuming that the back up of an application server has to be taken every day, backing up huge files for small changes in any of the documents can be expensive and unnecessary. It may be useful for you to know that Lotus Notes Domino is one of those kinds that support Incremental back up.

This is the most economical and effective method of backing up servers and is widely used across the globe more than Full and Differential Back Up.

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Server Back-Ups are the key to any organizations Disaster Recovery plan. It helps the organization to function non stop even at times of crisis without losing the information gathered. In this series of posts you can get an idea about Lotus Notes Back-Up capability and how it can help an organization at times of crisis.

Before going onto the details of Lotus Notes backup, let us understand some basics of Back-Up in general so that it will help us when Notes Backup is discussed.

Backups can be classified into different types based on the content being backed up. They are as follows,
1. Full Backup
2. Differential Backup
3. Incremental Backup

Full Backup

Full backup is one type where the entire server content is backed up. This type of backup is not always desired as it takes a huge amount of space. Also it may not be desired because of the fact that it backs up unwanted content like the server Operating System, etc. resulting in the accumulation of unwanted clutter along with the actual content.

Lotus Notes is a widely used application in BPOs across the world. It can be used for various purposes in an environment like a BPO where information sharing is very critical and contributes to the quick processing.

Lotus Notes applications are used by most of the BPOs primarily because it can be programmed to the specific requirements of the organization. In a BPO information gathering is very critical as it is only with this information further processing is to be done. Collecting appropriate information should be made very easy for the end users. Multiple users accessing this data can be controlled easily using lotus Notes. This makes it a powerful solution for the BPO industry.

It can also be used as a mailing solution which can improve the communication among the employees.

Leave management systems is an innovative tool to assist the HR function in tracking the leave records of its employees. It is a very use tool especially when the number of employees in the organization is more. Once an account has been created for each employee in this system, it can be used to provide information on the total number of leaves available for each employee for the year, number of leaves taken by them so far, etc.
From the employees perspective it can help them in applying leaves online without the hassle of writing a letter or sending an e-mail. The leave application can be processed by the appropriate sanctioning authority immediately online without any delay.Another advantage of LMS is that it can help us have a record and trace information about leaves taken a long time back also which may not be easy in a conventional management system.

Lotus Notes has a feature where information in Microsoft Excel can be used in its documents, forms and views.To transfer the data from an Excel sheet to the Notes document,we can create an embedded object in the Notes document or form.

What is an embedded object?
Data available in one file(source) can be transfered to another file(Destination) by inserting them.This process is called Embedding.The data transfered is called the object or the Embedded Object.
Whenever there is a change in the object it is automatically updated in the Notes Document.Alternatively,the data from a Microsoft Excel work book can be imported into the Notes Document or Forms.When you import the data to Lotus Notes, the data alone is tranferred and there is no link maintained between the Excel workbook and Lotus Notes.So, even if there is any change in the source document, no change happens in the Notes document or form to whichthe data was tranferred.

Firewall

What is a firewall?

Firewalls are softwares which help monitor and control the activities of a network. Using a firewall we can prevent or allow access to an external user contacting the systems within a network. When an external user tries to access a network in your office environment the firewall blocks the intrusion and helps us to safeguard confidential information. A record of all transactions including both that were allowed and rejected is maintained for future use. We can change the permissions and privileges for different users as when we require.

 Does firewall regulates only external access?

No. Firewalls can be used to regulate the internal users accessing outside information as well. This can helpful when you trying to deny permission to your employees accessing certain application through the internet. Selective ports can be denied/ provided access by using a firewall. This can be of great use in having a control over the internal environment.

This is what firewallguide.com has to say about this.

“A personal computer connected to the Internet without a firewall can be hijacked in just a few minutes by automated hacker ‘’Bots'’. The only way to make your computer 100% secure is to turn it off or disconnect it from the Internet. The real issue is how to make your computer 99% secure when it is connected. Not having protection is like leaving your car running with the doors unlocked and the keys in it which a thief might interpret as “please steal me”. Stated another way, when was the last time you handed a stranger your wallet and encouraged them to take your social security card, drivers license, cash and credit cards? Locking a car, using a “club” or installing a security system makes stealing a car more difficult. Internet security and privacy products provide adequate protection by making it difficult for “outlaws” to take control of your computer and rip you off”.

What is an internal security threat?

Many network administrators when asked about IT security think only of external threats like virus,hacking,spam, spyware etc., but there is much more to IT security than these visible threats.

Internal security threats are those which arise because of sources within the organization. It could be a disgruntled employee, ex-employees or contract workers, service providers who have/had access to your data. These people could carry your data out or could provide critical information to other hackers about the weakness in the security systems in place. This contributes to a major part of the IT crimes happening around the world.

The most common practice used in moving the data out of the organization is through e-mails. Employees having access to critical data might transfer them to your competitor easily by an e-mail. Other methods could be the use of USB thumb drives/ pen drives.

So how do you prevent them doing it?

• Restrict the use of pen drives in the office premises.

• Use mail scanning applications available to keep a track of the information sent/received.

• Remove the IDs used by the employees when they quit the organization.

• Restrict providing direct access to critical information to service providers, temporary staff, contract workers etc.

• Ensure that a thorough check up is done on the background of new employees recruited to work in data centers and server maintenance.

• Ensure passwords of employees are changed at regular intervals.
• Be cautious when giving access to outside sources to your network through remote login or remote desktop access.

Before The Call | Solution

If you have a sales team that is cold calling on customers and if you use Salesforce.com, Before The Call has an interesting solution that lets you find out complete details about the lead through multiple sources, before your sales person makes that call.

“Know the Prospect:
Draw from the best-known market intelligence partners to enrich your leads without leaving Salesforce.com. The Validator service search tens of millions of records to ensure you have the most accurate contact and company information available. This information is important to any sales process and Before the Call is able to use this information to access other sources that will provide you a full picture of the prospect. No longer will you have to exit CRM to search for this information, it is all in-process, in-context and retained within your CRM application. “

Interested in doing this from within your Lotus Notes based CRM? While no readymade solution exists, it is possible to build links with webservices. It is also possible to get data from the different lead sourcing companies like infoUSA and merge it with your Lotus Notes CRM data. At Maarga, we offer complete lifecycle solutions for software development on Lotus Notes/Domino technologies. We can also club it with BPO/KPO services like internet based market research to get you the leads you need into your CRM.