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Business/Network Security

It is not practical employ a full-time IT pro for most business with around 30 or so computers. Therefore, most of these businesses/offices rely on the office ''power user'' to keep their computers and networks running. But how reliable is this? Does this person understand the latest security threats? More importantly, does this person know how to protect you against the latest security threats? Not likely if this employee also busy doing the job that they were originally hired for.

Below is a list of networking security tips for business. Please contact us if you have similar concerns about your own business.

Train employees in security principles.

Establish basic security practices and policies for employees, such as requiring strong passwords, and establish appropriate Internet use guidelines that detail penalties for violating company cybersecurity policies. Establish rules of behavior describing how to handle and protect customer information and other vital data.

Protect information, computers and networks from cyber-attacks and viruses.

Make sure your workstations have good security software that is kept up-to-date. Also operating system and web browser updates are the best defenses against viruses, malware, and other online threats. . Also want to require any remote users to have current security software on their own computers. There are solutions that monitor these situations and warn you when a computer or workstation is not current.

Create an action plan for mobile devices.

Mobile devices can create significant security and management challenges, especially if they hold confidential information or can access the corporate network. Require users to password protect their devices and install security apps to help prevent cyber-theft while the phone is on public networks. Make sure you set reporting policies for lost or stolen devices and the device has remote-wipe capability active.

Make regular backups of all your important data.

Regularly backup your data on all computers and servers. Backups should include word processing documents, spreadsheets, databases, and accounting software. Backup data automatically if possible, or at least weekly and store the copies either offsite or in the cloud. I say weekly but how much data can you afford to lose? I have some clients that have their SQL database backed up hourly both on a backup server and on the cloud.

Control physical access to your computers.

Prevent access or use of business computers by unauthorized individuals. You should secure all your laptops, workstations, and servers. This is probably one of the most overlooked issues I see in the office today. If someone steals your server then they can gain access to all of your business data.

Secure your Wi-Fi networks.

If you have a Wi-Fi network for your workplace, make sure it is secure, encrypted, and hidden. Yes, you can make your wireless ‘’invisible’’ to everyone. Don’t forget to change the default password for router access.

Limit employee access to data and information, limit authority to install software.

Do not provide any one employee with access to all data systems. Employees should only be given access to the specific data systems that they need for their jobs. Make sure a separate user account is created for each employee and require strong passwords. This is where network security groups make managing this much easier. Do not give employees access rights to install software. I notice that this is practiced well with business with around 30+ employees but not so well for smaller businesses.