The second of our two-part issue, learn about the five most important security concerns for small and mid-sized companies, and how you can protect yourself and your business.
The Top 10 Network Security Concerns for Small to Mid-Sized Organizations
Spyware. Network security. Firewalls. When it comes to practicing safe computing, the technical, even military-sounding, terms and seemingly painstaking rules can be pretty overwhelming. But while several of us have been tempted to ignore issues of computer security, protecting your organization's network is more important now than ever before. In fact, a study conducted by the Department for Trade and Industry's Annual Information Security Breaches showed that 48 percent of large companies blame their worst security incidents on employees. In today's world of electronic client, donor and employee databases, online bill pay, and intra-office networks, it is increasingly important to educate yourself—and your employees—about proper security measures.
In this second half of our two-part Being Security Savvy issue, we unveil the top five network security concerns—what security issues to be aware of, how to respond, and why. To read the first installment of the issue, click here.
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CENTRALLY MANAGED ANTI-SPYWARE
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Hand in hand with antivirus protection, anti-spyware programs are a must-have for every business and personal computer. Spyware consists of programs that attack computers by way of the Internet, but do not "reproduce" like viruses. Users can be infected with spyware by clicking on harmful links or opening e-mail attachments from unfamiliar addresses. Designed to identify and collect personal and network information, and send it back to its creator, spyware can be extremely damaging to a company. For this reason, we recommend installing two anti-spyware agents in addition to your regular antivirus program; this way, if a harmful spyware file should make its way to you or your employees' computers, you will have two shots at stopping it in its tracks. Run anti-spyware programs frequently, installing updates if necessary. It could be the security measure that protects your intellectual property from getting into the hands of a competitor or worse. Having at least one of the software packages managed from a central server ensures that all your machines are up-to-date in their ability to catch spyware.
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CENTRALLY MANAGED ANTIVIRUS
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Antivirus protection is a necessity for all computer users. A software program capable of reproducing itself much like a biological virus, a computer virus can cause great harm to programs and files in seconds. These malicious programs, which can also spread via e-mail, can wreak havoc not only on individual computers, but also on entire networks, rendering entire office technology systems inoperable.
As with anti-spyware programs, it is important to have a reliable antivirus program installed on each of your employees' computers at all times. In addition, make sure that your antivirus protection covers all parts of your system, including e-mail. If you do "contract" a computer virus over e-mail, the program may target all of the e-mail addresses in your electronic address book. Not only will your computer and office network become infected, but this virus could also potentially infect the computers and networks of your contacts, clients, members, and vendors. As antivirus technology is more advanced, one antivirus program will do; but the program's virus definitions must be updated frequently to be optimally effective. Centrally managed antivirus software helps ensure all your machines are up-to-date in their ability to catch invaders.
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FIREWALLS
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Put simply: if you are connected to the Internet, you need a firewall. Just like it sounds, a firewall is a piece of hardware or software that acts as a barrier between your internal network and everybody else's (i.e., the Internet at large). Firewalls vary in strength and capabilities, but they serve the same purpose—acting as guards to allow only the information that needs to enter your system to get in, and preventing harmful intruders from invading. Firewalls help protect your computer from harmful programs and from hackers who try to get into your system and compromise information. (There is a mind-boggling number of hackers out there; for them, attacking your computer is a sport, so you must be smart about protecting yourself, your employees, and your company.) As with antivirus and anti-spyware programs, it important that you keep your firewalls up–to-date, and with current manufacturer's support; only then will you be protected from the latest intruders.
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PHYSICAL SERVER SECURITY
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This one is easy, although often overlooked. You can comprehensively address the items discussed in security issues Number 10 through 3, but if you don't keep your actual, physical servers in a locked room—to which only the right people have access—it will have been all for naught. Keep your server physically protected. If you don't, an intruder could simply steal it, and, along with it, all of the sensitive information it contains.
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BACK UP, BACK UP, BACK UP
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We hear it constantly—back up your data! But, aside from saving that presentation you may need again, why is thorough a back up system so essential? A backup of all electronic information is critical for two primary reasons: disaster recovery and archive purposes. By having snapshots of your critical data that you keep over a period of days and weeks, even months, you will be able to recover from a full system failure; but you will also be able to recover from the more insidious corrupted (or infected) file by restoring it from a version that was saved prior to the corruption. In fact, you will also be protected against malicious acts on your data by current or former employees, and a whole host of other unanticipated culprits. If possible, you should ensure a full backup of your system each and every night. Consider also how to make sure your backup can be stored off-site, so you can recover from a building disaster, such as fire or flood. Finally, make sure that you monitor your backups regularly to make sure they are successful.
Last Word
Keep your anti-spyware programs, antivirus protection, and firewalls up-to-date; physically secure your system's server, and back up your system daily, and you're well on your way to a secure computer network—an important aspect of comprehensive network management.
We hope that as a result of this two-part issue on the top 10 network security concerns for small to mid-sized businesses, you will come away with a renewed—or newly discovered—interest and respect for computer and network security. Discuss these topics with your employees, educating them not only about safe computing tools, but also the necessity of their use. Doing so will be well worth the time, money, and effort.
If you have a question regarding any of the information contained within this article or would like a comprehensive network assessment, including security, for your organization, please contact Optimal Networks at 240-499-7900 or email us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
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