Your business needs IT security. Period.

Hi all,

There’s been a lot of activity in the news recently about data security, IT software vulnerabilities and hacking in general. iPhone malware, census fail and government department infiltration have been hot topics in the last few weeks.

This month I’d like to explain what this all means for businesses. 

You may think that because you don’t handle top secret government information that you will not be a target, or that being a smaller business means criminals will not attempt to exploit your systems – this is not the case. The vast majority of security compromises are instigated from entirely automated systems and do not discern based on business size and type. In addition, they are generally not specifically targeting your data, most cases involve using compromised equipment to launch further attacks.

How can you protect against this type of activity? 

Standard security best practices should always be followed, I’ve discussed these before but to summarise:

• Use of strong passwords/two factor authentication
• Secure forms of remote access
• Software and operating systems kept up to date
• Monitoring and filtering of inbound/outbound communication
• Good quality anti-virus systems 

The above steps are easy – technology is pretty good today and if it is configured correctly it will be robust enough to stop the types of exploits mentioned above. The number one thing you as a business owner or manager can do is to educate your staff to be aware of these threats, the process they should follow in the event of uncertainty, and to highlight the potential real world consequences being compromised can create. 

This summary hasn’t been written (entirely) as a scare mongering exercise, however, it’s our responsibility as an IT service provider to not only highlight risks, but to make recommendations to reduce these risks and implement systems and processes that are robust not only technically, but also socially – we are here to help! 

Should you want assistance with developing staff training guides, or face-to-face group training for selected staff please get in touch.

About the author:

Eden Freeman is Intuitive IT’s Director of IT and outsourced IT manager to our clients. Eden’s no-nonsense and practical approach to IT Management ensures his clients receive the best possible solutions for their IT needs. Eden works across our many and varied clients, ensuring best practice is implemented from a technology perspective and can communicate risks and ideas to the business at the same time. A unique and highly regarded set of skills that make him invaluable to the IIT team. Contact Eden here