Is your small biz safe from Internet security threats?
Now this is an article written by Peter Alexander and I really love this article. It gives me something to get to talk about here, but the article goes on to say, “Many small business owners assume that large corporations are far more vulnerable to internet security threats and they are.” In truth however, it’s often the other way around.
For example, the destructive MyDoom worm that affected one out of three small and mid-size companies, but only one out of six enterprise level companies according to the Internet Security Alliance. Now that's a non for profit organization that provides kind of exchange of information and security issues.
So because small businesses and small mid-size or SMB’s we call them have a false sense of security and assume they’re not as much at risk because as the big boys. The owners don't adequately protect their computers and their networks from spyware, viruses, worms, Trojans, hacker attacks, customer data theft and other security issues because you don’t have a lot of balls to juggle already and entrepreneurs aren’t necessarily always all that computer savvy.
So they kind of put this stuff down there to do list even if it makes on to do list at all. So the reasons why these small big sized companies are probably more at risk has got to do with the fact that you know one enterprise level network security is much harder to breach.
Now the bigger companies have all these guidelines that they have to comply with things such as the payment card industry, data security standard. They have to comply with this called Surveillance Acts. They may have to comply which what’s called HIPAA which is dealing with health care records. They have a lot more stuff to deal with, so internally tend to fortify their networks a little bit more thoroughly.
Unprotected systems are easier to find so many hackers have sophisticated tools that go out in the internet and find them secure systems. And unprotected computers are much easier to bridge obviously than protected ones, and they’re looking for computers they can use to launch attacks on other computers and networks.
Simply, computer security threats are more sophisticated now and more damaging. And boy that is really true. Spyware authors have really been very, very busy creating these programs that really resist being removed. They are trying to fool the operating system and anti spyware applications and everything else.
And these things can just keep perpetually mutating and spread more threats across the internet and they do it in minutes. In minutes, these things can happen, so all these various threats. Small businesses that are without adequate protection, updates and security solutions, mind you, you can be victimized just like that. So, there's another reason why you’re at risk.
Now threats often come from within. I said this before, but all too often security breaches don’t come up from the outside, don’t come from hackers. They come from employees who maybe unknowingly downloads a Trojan application where somebody on the inside is playing an online game lot of different things can happen, but most of the risk to small business really tends to come from the inside of the operations as opposed to the outside.
And finally, the impact of the attack could be far greater on the small to mid-size company than a large one. You know small businesses don't have the financial resources maybe to bounce back from the security breach like maybe larger than them. Maybe if you're like an online retailer a hacker kind of launches the denial and service attack to your website.
Do you really have the necessary insurance or funds to kind of make up for the subsequent loss of revenue not to mention the damaged to your business and reputations, so we kind of went forth back to and identified the reasons why you’re at risk but let’s talk about something you can do about it.
Well, the first thing is, change your thinking. Internet security should be a fundamental part of your business survival and continuity plan. So think of it in the way that many small businesses are growing reliant on the internet for communication and you know talk with customers department.
Secondly, access your needs. Do you have a full understanding of the security that you need versus what you got. You know if you're real busy you’re small mid-size company owner chances are the “if” is now. The good news is that you have more protection and you realized, for instance most home office, small office, local area networks including a built in firewall technology that blocks some worms and accessing the computers on the network.
Third, cover the basics and the minimal small business computers should be protected by a hardware or software firewall. Anti-viruses, firewall, spyware software and maybe some internet security, switch solutions geared towards the small business space, so there are some of the basic things you can do there.
Four, get help. Hire a consultant that come and do a security added on your network. You know do a network security scan, take a look at the firewall make sure it’s configured properly. Look at the end point security in your network, and kind of spend a little bit of money. It looks like an insurance. Spend a little bit today to save a whole lot tomorrow possibly save your business. I can’t stress that enough.
Five, put it right in detail written security plan. They include policies and procedures as well as technology requirements are particularly important for a business with employees. If your security procedures aren’t set now in writing they’re easy for employees just to disregard that is so very true.
Six, keep your security updated. New internet threats happen everyday. They are emerging, thousands upon thousands of them. I have just seen the other day that the United States Pentagon received over three million attacks a day. Three million attacks where Pentagon’s defense network threat it is unbelievable.
If you don't keep your anti-virus and they like network, software updated against new viruses, worm and so forth you’re going to have a problem unlike wine security software doesn’t get better with age. Fortunately, most anti-virus software anything else updates pretty much automatically.
Next is get wireless networks extra protection. Wow! We just bought a brand new Nokia E71, and I can just write around town here and this small town and pick up all kinds of unsecured wireless networks that I can just hop on and start using. No problem because the owners never bothers to secure those. And these just aren’t residential, but any rate because it’s a radio, wireless networks on radio. Now, so many people can listen in the radio and they can hijack and do other things.
So, usability and security in your wireless router access point like WEP, WPA whatever but at least make an attempt to secure your wireless router. Perhaps if your employees had wireless connection to access maybe they come in database for files consider taking on additional security measures. For instance VP and the Virtual Private Network connection generally provide the most security from all the workers to make that connection.
Don't go overboard however on security look. Nobody wants to live in a house without windows and doors and this sort of thing and if you locked down and get overzealous unlocking everything down you’re going to frustrate users with all these stuff, and you're going to make it more difficult to use and get their job done, so kind of find that balance between usability and security and just kind of stick with that.
And finally, and I think this is a good tip, prepare for the future. Well boy, we get busy we don’t want to think ahead away. We don’t really plan for tomorrow like we should, but a secure network does provide businesses with benefits beyond protecting from internet attacks and that threats. Inherently, a secure network is really robust and that's a real great foundation to build your support for new technologies like voiceover IP, and things like that, that can really increase your productivity and reduce your expenses so.
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