BY DONNA HOWELL

INVESTOR’S BUSINESS DAILY

Posted 2/28/2007

If someone tells you most companies lack a knack for security, don’t assume the worst. He might’ve meant NAC.

A mini-industry is growing up around NAC, or network access control, though few firms use it yet. NAC is a way of organizing computer networks. Tech observers say NAC will change how companies handle security in two ways. It will pre-screen what users and devices are safe enough to join corporate networks, and it will authorize what parts of networks they can use.

NAC talk permeated the security field’s annual RSA Conference in San Francisco in late February.

“They should’ve changed the name of RSA to NAC this year it was really all about NAC,” said Aaron Vance, an analyst at Synergy Research Group.

Yet, NAC use remains sparse. “There are some early NAC or NAC-like deployments, but for the most part it isn’t really here yet,” Vance said.

About 45 companies are working on different NAC-related products, Vance says. That includes two big companies that have developed competing frameworks for NAC: Cisco Systems () and Microsoft . ()

‘The Clean Machine’

NAC can involve the use of hardware products such as special switches and appliances, including one Cisco dubbed “the clean machine.”

These products can interact with a host of applications, such as security software. A NAC network could tell, for instance, if a laptop just plugged into the network has up-to-date anti-virus software and security patches. And it could tell if the laptop’s owner has the right credentials to join the network. Some NAC-equipped networks also could keep monitoring thereafter.

“Network access control is all about managing who gets on the network, and managing any device they may be using to see if it meets sufficient security requirements,” said Mitchell Ashley, chief technology officer at NAC application developer StillSecure. “NAC is so important because even those devices managed by the organization represent a potential threat if they were to be compromised in some way.”

The concerns range from viruses and worms that could disrupt a network, to Trojans that could send off personal data, to the presence of peer-to-peer music-sharing programs that could make unauthorized bandwidth demands.

To carry out full network access control, Yankee Group analyst Chris Liebert says, a product needs to do several things: It needs to see if the device connecting to the network is secure and the user authorized before granting access. It needs to quarantine noncompliant devices, then prompt them to get compliant (perhaps by downloading new anti-virus updates). It needs to ensure that devices granted access stay compliant. It also needs to be able to report on what it’s done.

“There are some players who do parts and bits of it,” Liebert said. “(Only two) vendors have the entire solution baked.”

Vendors doing a lot of NAC functions with switches include Cisco, Hewlett-Packard, () Nortel Networks, () Juniper Networks, () and Extreme Networks, () she says. While vendors doing a lot of NAC with appliances include Cisco, Symantec () and McAfee. ()

Liebert says Cisco and Juniper are the only two that really do it all.

NAC-ronyms

An alphabet soup of NAC schemes has been in development for years. Cisco’s architectural framework for NAC, which Vance says has the popularity edge, is called Network Admission Control, which also uses the NAC acronym. Microsoft’s is called Network Access Protection, or NAP, and can interoperate with Cisco’s approach. While the open-standard Trusted Network Connect, or TNC, comes from the Trusted Computing Group, a tech alliance that includes Intel, () Microsoft, IBM, () HP, Sun Microsystems () and AMD. ()

Full NAC implementations that involve network hardware upgrades can cost millions of dollars, Vance says.

“NAC is unproven at this point and it’s very, very expensive, especially for very large organizations with disparate networks and lots of equipment deployed,” he said. “It behooves Cisco from a revenue point of view to push switches. NAC involves upgrades to edge switches, which is where Cisco makes most of its money.”

Liebert says the present market for network access control is stagnant. She says companies wonder about the cost, how to manage the technology and whether NAC is worth changing the way they already do things.

Firms that do try to implement NAC networks often start out using it to address a specific need, says StillSecure’s Ashley.

The need might be to help ensure security when contractors use the network or employees must reach it from home. After that, firms may roll out NAC to more of the network.

“Most organizations are embarking on some sort of NAC project,” Ashley said. “Many have begun to deploy NAC and some are fully-deployed.”

Some aspects of Microsoft’s NAP are built into its new Vista operating system and upcoming Longhorn server software. Analysts say that could help spur NAP adoption.

As NAC catches on, expect consolidation among its vendors, Vance says.

“That 45 number will narrow down into anywhere from about 10 to 20, with the definite people there at the end being Cisco and Microsoft,” he said. “They will be the bellwethers in this initiative.”

Nothing produces faster and more dramatic change in the human body than working out with short bursts of high intensity that’s characteristic of strength or resistance exercise. There’s simply no better way to alter your shape.

But there’s more good news! The American Heart Association has declared that strength training also has a profoundly positive affect on your cardiovascular health, improving heart and lung capacity, while lowering blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

There is no one best way to increase intensity, and every situation calls for a different approach. The challenge is to raise intensity safely, and at a pace that’s right for you, and still get results.

For some, simply slipping on a couple of extra weight plates solves the problem nicely. But when seeking to modify intensity, whether up or down, we can do a lot more than just add weight.

(For a great workout: http://www.firefightersworkout.com.)

1. Muscle Fatigue
Muscle fatigue is experienced at the point in the set where you begin to feel some local discomfort, possibly a low level burning sensation, or even slight pain. You’ll also develop an increasing weakness in the muscles being trained. While momentary muscle failure is the ultimate goal of all resistance training, results can be obtained at much lower levels. However, at a minimum you’ll need to reach a minor level of muscle fatigue with at least one set per exercise. See the Fatigue to Intensity Chart below.

Momentary Muscle Failure
Momentary muscle failure is defined as the point in the set where complete exhaustion of the targeted muscles takes place. Any additional repetitions would be impossible without bringing weaker stabilizer muscles into play, not designed for heavy lifting, where an injury is the most likely result.

Most people tend to halt a set at the first sign of discomfort or at the onset of that familiar burning sensation (brought on by lactic acid build up). Either way, be sure to keep the intensity focused in the targeted muscles by adhering to perfect form with every set.

The common thread in most successful resistance routines is not endless hours of training, but the relatively high level of muscle fatigue reached on at least one set per exercise. Results can be obtained at all levels, but the most remarkable progress is achieved at levels 3 and 4.

Fatigue to Intensity Chart

Level 1 Slight Discomfort
Level 2 Localized Burning Sensation
Level 3 Slight or Moderate Pain
Level 4 Momentary Failure of Targeted Muscles

2. Reduced Tempo
Speed kills… your exercise program! Moving through a set at too great a speed can generate tremendous strain on your joints and connective tissue, and is self-defeating. Slow down! A typical repetition should last about six seconds. This leaves two seconds for the push against gravity (positive phase), and four seconds for the lowering with gravity (negative phase).

Slow Motion Training
A very effective way to increase intensity is to slow tempo down to five seconds on positive phase, and 10 seconds on the negative. This type of training isnt for the faint of heart, and it demands a bit of mental discipline to get through just one set.

Slow motion training is an intensity booster of the highest magnitude, and can sometimes require you to rest seven days between sessions. Reps become less important when training slowly. Pay more attention to the timing of each set, which should range between ninety seconds and three minutes. This should limit overall reps to never more than 10 or 12.

3. Reduced Rest
Shorter rest between sets also translates into greater intensity, especially as it relates to building endurance. Longer rest between sets allows the muscles to recover more completely, and consequently work at a higher resistance level. If you work with 30 seconds or less between sets, youre circuit training.

Circuit training is a great way to get more intensity out of less resistance, and is appropriate for anyone who has limited time and equipment. More closely resembling an aerobic program, circuit training has become popular in the fitness industry over the last 10 years because of its adaptability and overall safety. If your goals are strictly toning and reducing body fat, and you’re not as interested in building muscle mass or brute strength, circuit training makes an excellent choice.

If you’re not comfortable with the rapid pace of circuit training, stick to a more traditional program with a somewhat longer recovery between sets (one to three minutes). Shorter rest and higher reps build endurance and tone, while longer rests and low rep ranges build muscle and strength. Customize your routine accordingly.

4. Increased Volume
Adjusting the total number of sets performed per exercise is another way to vary overall intensity. Intensity adds up, so that one very intense set can deliver as much as two or three moderately intense efforts. The more intensely you train, the less you need to do. If you don’t want to crank up intensity, add another set or two.

5. Increased Resistance
And last but not least, increase the amount of weight lifted. This can be done from set to set, from workout to workout, or both. Track how much you weight lift, and how many reps are performed on every set. If possible, make jumps in increments of five to 10 percent.

Simply showing up at the gym and going through the motions will deliver only a minimal amount of real results. Work at the highest level of muscle fatigue you can safely handle. Move slowly through each exercise and take appropriate rest between sets. Do extra sets or add more weight in a progressive, calculated manner. Take training seriously and make every movement count, and you’ll be on your way to a successful resistance program.

To learn more about Mike Stefano and his fat-burning, body-sculpting programs, http://www.firefightersworkout.com.

(Updating with CWI figures)

AMSTERDAM (Thomson Financial) - Unemployment in the three months to March averaged 5.3 pct of the working population, down from 6.2 pct in the same period a year earlier, the Central Bureau for Statistics said.

The number of jobless totaled 401,000, down 59,000 from a year earlier but up 17,000 from the period December to February.

After correcting for seasonal effects, the number of jobless was down 1,000 at 379,000 compared with the period December to February.

According to the Centre for Work and Income (CWI), the number of jobless was 543,447 at the end of March, down 2.8 pct from 559,355 in the previous month.

The number of job vacancies in the first quarter amounted to 78,295, down 7 pct from the first three months of 2006.

The CBS bases its figures on a random survey of 30,000 people, whereas the CWI registers non-working people seeking employment.

tfn.amsterdam@thomson.com

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It’s an alien invasion you can’t see because it is happening underwater.

Since the St. Lawrence Seaway opened almost 50 years ago, at least 185 species have invaded the Great Lakes most from the bellies of giant cargo ships.

Some have been harmless. Many have caused devastation. Take the Quagga mussel. It’s a fingernail-sized mollusc native to rivers around the Caspian and Black Sea that was first discovered in Lake Erie in 1989. Since then, it has spread like a carpet across the bottom of the Great Lakes, vacuuming up the bottom of the food chain and turning parts of the lakes into veritable dead zones. And it’s spreading inland.

In January, some were found in Lake Mead, Nev., where they likely arrived on the propeller of a recreational boat removed from Lake Michigan and driven across the country for another fishing trip. Scientists worry what it will do to the Hoover Dam.

Now a group of more than 90 U.S. environmental organizations want ocean-going tankers banned from entering the Great Lakes.

“Invasive species are destroying the Great Lakes,” said Jeff Skelding, campaign director of the coalition, called Healing Our Waters. “It’s time to fight back.”

The coalition’s campaign, aimed at the U.S. Congress, was born from the frustration of legislation held up in Washington for five years. But it’s hit the target in Canada, too.

“We should do everything we can to stop the damage … to the Great Lakes,” said Mark Mattson, the Lake Ontario Waterkeeper. “I support it if the government continues its current policies which is not to enforce its rules.”

Regulations in Canada have been in place since 1993 requiring boats to flush out the stabilizing ballast water in their tanks offshore.

But the invaders have continued to arrive, either because some boats flush out ballast water inside the Great Lakes or because they have sludge in their tanks.

New species continue to arrive, all with devastating economic impact. The price of removing Zebra and Quagga mussels from water intake pipes alone in U.S. communities has been estimated at $200 million a year

AN emerging breed of athletic and healthy model is defying the skeletal syndrome.

Luka Thompson, 16, an under-17 state netballer, and Sheridan Seekamp, 17, the under-18 national high jump champion, represent a positive image of modelling.

Both girls are making their mark on the sporting and fashion worlds.

Unlike the stick-thin models at this month’s Australian Fashion Week, both say their goal is to stay fit and healthy.

Sheridan, who is in training to qualify for next year’s World Junior Athletics Championship in Poland, said modelling had changed her perception of body shapes. “I’m muscly and I love food so, while some might say I’m skinny, I just think I’m healthy,” she said.

Finesse Model Agency owner Brigette Mitchell, who represents the girls, said they promoted a positive image of modelling. “They are two of Adelaide’s top models,” she said.

“They could have been chosen for Australian Fashion Week but they were too busy with sport.”

While Ms Mitchell said some designers did use overly thin models to attract attention, it also was a “fact of life” some people were thin.