PARKSVILLE/QUALICUM BEACH
22
JUNE 2015
Duncan presents $5.1 million in funding for Qualicum fire hall
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UALICUM BEACH - Minister of State John Duncan, on behalf of Greg Rickford, Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources and Minister for the Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario, recently announced the federal government’s contribution of $5.1 million from the Green Municipal Fund to the Qualicum Beach innovative, energy-efficient fire hall project at 130 Rupert Road recently. T he Green Municipal Fund helps cities and towns across the country increase their energy
efficiency and create a cleaner and healthier environment while supporting jobs, promoting environmental sustainability and driving economic growth. “Our funding will support the fire hall’s implementation of a proven — but often overlooked — heat-exchange system that will extract heat from an adjacent municipal well field,” said Duncan, the Government W hip and sitting Member of Parliament for Vancouver Island North, who will be running in the newly created riding of Courtenay-Alberni in the 2015
federal election. This project will integrate a water-to-water heat-pump system that takes advantage of the nearby geothermal resources. In turn, the new energy-efficient fire hall will reduce energy and maintenance costs. The goal is to lower energy consumption by as much as 75 per cent below the Model National Energy Code for Buildings. In addition, 80 per cent of the new structure will be made of wood — which is particularly important to the province’s forest sector. “Initiatives like this represent
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Just 15 minutes north of Nanaimo
the kind of progress and environmental responsibility that we are trying to promote in communities across the country,” Duncan adds. “That’s why the Government of Canada is delivering programs that significantly benefit the environment while helping to improve local economies and quality of life for communities like Qualicum Beach.” “Since the depth of the global economic recession, the Canadian economy has created over one million new jobs in the private sector. This is the strongest
record of growth and job creation among countries in the G7 during the economic recovery,” Duncan says. “We are achieving this through our government’s plan for Responsible Resource Development, which is fundamentally changing Canada’s regulatory approach to major natural resource projects. Our plan is not just about developing resources efficiently — it is about developing them responsibly. Our government understands that economic prosperity and environmental responsibility go hand in hand.”
IT SECURITY CONSIDERATIONS FOR BUSINESS
I
nformation technology (IT) security should be an important area of consideration for every business. In light of all the sensitive information businesses keep on record – from financialrecordstoprivateinformation, it is easily understood how a single data breach could seriously damage a business and its reputation. A database of publicly reported data breaches released in February by security vendor Gemalto showed there were at least 57 incidents in which 276,789recordsweretakenfromCanadian institutions including governments, banks and hospitals in 2014. “Many data breaches are avoidable throughtheuseofbestpracticeswhen it comes to IT Security.” says Aaron Butters,PresidentofTechnologyGuys IT Solutions, a Managed Service Provider based in Victoria, B.C. Password Policies - Implementing strong passwords and changing them on a regular basis is an easy first step to strengthening security. Using a combinationofcapitalandlower-case letters, numbers and symbols, as well as ensuring the password is 8 to 12 characters long is recommended. Each user should have their own unique login and user password for system login, network access, and application access. “Sharing a single login and password for a number of employees creates a number of weaknesses from a security perspective,” explained Aaron “so too is sharing passwords or making them so complex you have to write them down.” In thesamevein,PasswordManagement tools are becoming increasingly useful with the number of accounts and devices that people have to manage. Security Hardware As a front line of defence, firewalls are a necessity for all businesses. Most businesses use a device called a router whichalsoactsasafirewall–although firewalls and routers can be separate devices. “A firewall protects a network by controlling traffic coming in and out of the network. We also have clients whose needs exceed those of routers and firewalls.” explains Butters, “In these cases we often use security appliances to provide additional filtering and reporting.” Important to note is the need to properly configure whatever devices
are implemented. “It’s one thing to have the hardware, and it’s another having it working as it should.” explained Butters. Antivirus Software - Antivirus and anti-malware solutions provide an excellent line of defence and are an important part of a security strategy. Offerings and features can vary significantly. “There are basic antivirus programs available for free – however licensing often prevents them from being used in a business setting. Free applications also tend to lack reporting systems preferred in a business setting,” explains Aaron. Additionally - ensuring antivirus, antimalware, operating system and applications are updated and patched on a regular basis is critical to ensure things are working correctly. Securing the Mobile Worker Smartphones, tablets and laptops are at a higher risk of being lost or stolen than traditional desktop computers and hard-wired office phones. Steps need to be taken to ensure sensitive informationisprotected.“Encrypting devices, enabling lockout periods, and enabling remote wiping of data when available are all effective methods in approaching security of mobile workers”, explains Aaron, “The key is having options available to protect and secure company data if a device goes missing.” BackupBackupBackup-Therearea variety of methods of backing up data availableforbusinesses. Inrecentyears automated online methods have become popular because of relative ease –howeverAaronwarnsabout“Cloud” solutionsthatbackuptolocationsgeographically distanced from Victoria. “If your business can not afford to be offline for days, it is critical to consider wherethebackedupdataactuallyresides – and how you would get the data back in the event of needing it.” Technology Guys IT Solutions is a Victoria BC based MSP, who offer IT support services for Small business to Enterprise clients. Technology Guys areas of specialization include Networking, Security, Hosting, Storage, Disaster Recovery and Planning. For more information, please visit www. technologyguys.ca