Security

Network Security: Threat Analysis & Countermeasures

Are you protected from viruses, spyware, hackers and other threats? Is your data secure? Are you sure? Without proper protection, companies open themselves to theft and loss of data, loss of productivity, and the possibility of regulatory fines and civil liabilities, all of which negatively impact their bottom line.

 

Get Professional Help: With the increasing volume and magnitude of threats, it is no wonder companies need help with security. They face a myriad of internal and external threats, and at the same time, are under more pressure to protect employee, customer, and proprietary information and keep it confidential. They have also seen privacy issues spawn legislation that impacts health care organizations (HIPAA), financial institutions, and credit institutions, with broad implications for most organizations.

 

It would be simple if all companies had the same exposure, but they don’t. That is why you need a knowledgeable professional to advise you. Do you need a firewall? If so, do you need one that cost a few hundred dollars, a few thousand dollars or are you a major player that needs something with a major price tag? There is a difference!

 

Our staff is trained in network, internet and computer security and often performs threat and security analyses for customers. We can determine your exposure to internal and external threats and offer cost-effective countermeasures. We also regularly support customers who must be in compliance with HIPAA, Federal or State Banking regulations or Criminal Justice regulations.

 

External Threats: Trojan Horses, viruses, worms and spyware attack computers and networks often causing them to malfunction or crash. Hackers break into computers to steal identities and other data, to store pornography or other illegal operations, or to cause the computers to work for them. Spam, adware, pop-ups, faulty drivers, absence of updates, power fluctuations, and power outages can all lead to downtime and loss of productivity; and disasters such as fire, lightning strikes, flooding, tornadoes, hurricanes and other acts of nature can consume and destroy your data in a heartbeat.

 

To counter external threats, companies need to select the proper anti-virus and anti-spyware; review their exposure and need for a firewall; continually update their operating systems, browsers and email systems; take counter spam measures; install appropriate power protection and above all install and maintain an adequate backup system with off-site media.

 

Internal Threats: In addition to external threats, companies need to protect computers from employees, overheating, and static electricity. Employees are a major source of data loss as they accidently or maliciously delete or lose files. Moreover, employees do not necessarily need to have access to all data. Smothering computers with plants and photos, placing them in confined spaces where they can’t breathe, or letting them clog with dust and dirt causes overheating which leads to equipment failure. Static electricity can short out circuit boards, erase disks and cause electro-mechanical components to fail. Of course, your first line of defense from internal threats is common sense, the second is a good backup system, and the third is a professional network engineer.