The importance of data, coupled with the risks of the Internet-connected world, means that your business is constantly under threat of information loss or theft. Your employees play a large part in data protection and helping to maintain security, but there are ways to apply technology so that standards are improved automatically.
Here are some of the factors your should consider.
Passwords
The most basic (yet essential) network security provision, passwords are vital to controlling access to company IT resources and the information they hold. All of your company PCs should demand a logon, and you should have permissions enabled that limit access to applications and data according to what each employee needs to use.
You should also verify that hosted systems, like Cloud file storage, are also fully protected by strong passwords. Otherwise they are open to abuse, or access by unauthorised third parties such as data hackers.
Network perimeter firewalls
These networking devices carefully inspect traffic entering and leaving your network, blocking anything that appears suspicious. The firewall controls access to company resources, permitting authenticated employees to collect email, whilst blocking many common hacking attempts.
Many firewalls are also capable of identifying malware, or traffic generated by malware, and blocking it before any damage is caused to your systems. Specifying and managing an effective firewall is an expert job however – speak to your IT support provider for more help.
Drive encryption
Used to prevent data from being recovered by third parties, drive encryption is a great way of protecting your business in the event that a PC or laptop or is stolen. An encrypted hard drive automatically scrambles and descrambles data stored on it for authorised users.
If a thief tries to access the drive without the correct password, the information is rendered unreadable. Although extremely effective, drive encryption does carry a risk of data loss if the user forgets their password – speak to your IT support partner for further guidance.
Spam filtering and anti-malware
Many security threats are received via email, in the form of an infected attachment. Once opened, these malware tools can be used to hijack your company computers, or to monitor activities, passing valuable, confidential data back to hackers.
Spam filters and anti-virus applications are an essential aspect of modern network security – even for businesses who use hosted email services. Both systems will scan incoming (and outgoing) email to identify and block unwanted messages or suspicious attachments. They also help to reduce the administrative burden on your employees by helping to keep their mailboxes virus-free.
Don’t forget to train your users in security
Finally, you should always provide your employees with some basic training to help them understand the threats that face your business, and what they can do to mitigate them. From surfing the web safely, to protecting passwords, there are plenty of things your workers should learn.
For more help and advice about using technology to protect your corporate IT resources, please get in touch.
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