Not only do businesses need to worry about their ability to migrate to new technological infrastructures such as cloud computing to stay competitive, but network security is becoming just as important for small businesses. Network security refers to the security of your entire digital access network, from bring your own device (BYOD) agreements to cloud data centers or in-house network servers. With consumer privacy and hacking attacks on small businesses on the rise, (accounting for as much as 32% of all attacks) it is essential to ensure that you are protecting your core business data assets.
Top 10
Criminal organizations are using sophisticated technology to scan the World Wide Web for vulnerabilities using botnets. As a small business you can no longer fly under their radar and their search algorithms do not distinguish between big or small companies. In order to have better network security, ensure that these Top 10 security holes are filled immediately.
Firewall
It’s amazing how many small businesses fail to have a firewall to stop these botnets from searching their vulnerabilities. A simple firewall can help stop a large portion of attacks from lazy hackers or automated vulnerability searches.
Password it
Interesting enough, even people with a firewall in their network security fail to change the default administrator password.
Updates
Keeping up to date with security updates on operating systems, firewalls and routers is also important. These vulnerabilities are often the first exploited.
Block Pings
Pinging is another network security loophole that most hackers learn immediately. Essentially if your network is pingable a hacker can find your network. Blocking pings makes it harder to find.
Initiate Self-Scans
Scan your network security as a hacker would, looking for vulnerabilities. If you do not know how, get an initial security assessment from a local firm.
Automate Backups
The last thing you want to deal with on top of an intrusion is the loss of your data. If you are with a cloud service, most often they provide this service. Making sure it is set up and backs up your data on a regular basis is paramount to disaster recovery.
User Accounts
Almost any computer platform for network security even Windows allows you to set up users with access controls. If your front line staff does not need access to the entire network, do not give it to them. Limit access to only those that truly need it.
BYOD Policies
Most small businesses have no choice but to accept employees devices to supplant their own network devices. However, a proper policy including security measures need to be implemented to assure these devices are not being used as a huge security hole in your network. Signed agreements should be in place for all BYOD devices including outlines of where, when and why business data should be accessed on these devices.
Standard Ethical Policies
Do not think of just the threats from an external source. Often your sources of intrusion could be internal. Conduct proper background checks on all your employees and set ethical and moral standards in a code of conduct that includes data access. At the very least this protects your company from dismissals for cause regarding improper data access.
Secure your Email
Lastly, business still runs a lot of communications through email. Ensuring that these emails are spam-free with an anti-spam filter is critical to stopping backdoor malware from gaining a foothold in your business. Whether your email is web-based or Exchange based you should have a professional Email spam filter such as modusGate.
If you do these 10 simple things, the security of your network security is on a good start.
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