Samsung recently announced the Samsung Galaxy Mega 6.3 – this is a smart phone that is nearly the same size as the iPad Mini! Imagine holding this device up to your ear! It may even make iPad owners wonder why they can’t make phone calls with their iPad Mini. The Galaxy Mega 6.3 has an HD screen, a 1.7GHz dual-core CPU, and runs the most recent Android OS. Levi’s needs to design jeans with bigger pockets!

In other ‘big’ news, Dell recently announced their new 18” tablet named the Dell XPS 18. This device is a blend between All-in-One computer and a tablet. With a full version of Windows 8 it can be used as a regular computer with mouse and keyboard, then easily picked-up for tablet use, or transport from the desk to the couch. Sure, large touchscreen monitors have been around for a while, but the XPS 18 is the touchscreen monitor and computer combined in one slim (0.7in thick, 5lb) package. With the option of outfitting the XPS 18 with an Intel Core i7 CPU and 8GB of RAM, this device does not compromise performance.

Jonathan Linch,  Team Manager – General Business & Nonprofit

Read more:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-22213383

James Foley, Senior Network Consultant

Read more:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-22214324

James Foley, Senior Network Consultant

Does your organization store or process Protected Health Information (PHI)?  If yes, then HIPAA requires you to perform risk assessments. Please contact a Centerlogic Team member for more details.

Risk Analysis Requirements under the Security Rule

The Security Management Process standard in the Security Rule requires organizations to “[i]mplement policies and procedures to prevent, detect, contain, and correct security violations.” (45 C.F.R. § 164.308(a)(1).) Risk analysis is one of four required implementation specifications that provide instructions to implement the Security Management Process standard.  Section 164.308(a)(1)(ii)(A) states:

RISK ANALYSIS (Required).
Conduct an accurate and thorough assessment of the potential risks and vulnerabilities to the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of electronic protected health information held by the [organization].

The following questions adapted from NIST Special Publication (SP) 800-66⁵ are examples organizations could consider as part of a risk analysis. These sample questions are not prescriptive and merely identify issues an organization may wish to consider in implementing the Security Rule:

• Have you identified the e-PHI within your organization? This includes e-PHI that you create, receive, maintain or transmit.
• What are the external sources of e-PHI? For example, do vendors or consultants create, receive, maintain or transmit e-PHI?
• What are the human, natural, and environmental threats to information systems that contain e-PHI?

In addition to an express requirement to conduct a risk analysis, the Rule indicates that risk analysis is a necessary tool in reaching substantial compliance with many other standards and implementation specifications. For example, the Rule contains several implementation specifications that are labeled “addressable” rather than “required.” (68 FR 8334, 8336 (Feb. 20, 2003).) An addressable implementation specification is not optional; rather, if an organization determines that the implementation specification is not reasonable and appropriate, the organization must document why it is not reasonable and appropriate and adopt an equivalent measure if it is reasonable and appropriate to do so. (See 68 FR 8334, 8336 (Feb. 20, 2003); 45 C.F.R. § 164.306(d)(3).)

The outcome of the risk analysis process is a critical factor in assessing whether an implementation specification or an equivalent measure is reasonable and appropriate. Organizations should use the information gleaned from their risk analysis as they, for example:

• Design appropriate personnel screening processes. (45 C.F.R. § 164.308(a)(3)(ii)(B).)
• Identify what data to backup and how. (45 C.F.R. § 164.308(a)(7)(ii)(A).)
• Decide whether and how to use encryption. (45 C.F.R. §§ 164.312(a)(2)(iv) and (e)(2)(ii).)
• Address what data must be authenticated in particular situations to protect data integrity. (45 C.F.R. § 164.312(c)(2).)
• Determine the appropriate manner of protecting health information transmissions. (45 C.F.R. § 164.312(e)(1).)

http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/administrative/securityrule/rafinalguidance.html

Craig Schmid, Team Manager – Healthcare & Government

We’ve found that having a booth is not a great way for an IT company to obtain new customers. Instead, we may fantastic connections with other healthcare IT (HIT) vendors and create partnerships so that we can better serve our existing and future healthcare clients. In addition, we learn more about local and regional trends in healthcare. Our investment in these types of events helps us be more than just another IT company; it allows us to provide The Customized IT Experience for you!

Plus, spring is a beautiful time to be in the northwest!

Jeffrey Kaye, Chief Technology Officer
Mike Tijerina, Account Executive

If you are unfamiliar with the Up button, let me introduce you: Most people know the Back button, which takes you back to the folder you were viewing previously. The Up button, however, takes you one level higher in the current directory tree.

Now, granted, the missing Up button is not a deal-breaker for Windows 7—Former Windows XP users have figured out how to get by without it, however… (Wait for it…) Microsoft has brought back the Up button in Windows 8!

The Up button has returned to its previous home at the top of Windows Explorer. Now I just need to retrain my brain that I choose between Back or Up.

Jonathan Linch, Team Manager General Business & Nonprofit

The winner of the first annual Centerlogic Bracket Challenge is David Swartout of Mt. View Medical Center (www.mountainviewmed.com)! David won an iPad Mini and 5 FREE consulting hours for the clinic. It came down to the last game and with the Louisville win, David’s bracket just edged out Marci of Compass Engineering’s (www.compass-engineering.com). So close and very exciting. Next year, we will sign participants up well in advance (if Yahoo! Sports allows this), so more people will have time to sign-up and submit their brackets.

Thank you to all of our friends who entered the challenge!

Mike Tijerina, Account Executive

The botnet targets WordPress users with the username “admin”, trying thousands of possible passwords.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-22152296

Posted by James Foley, Senior Network Consultant

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James Foley, Senior Network Consultant