Technology advances at great speed and you might find it hard to run along with. But, if you are running a business, you are left with no choice. Most business tasks are simplified and performed using a laptop or PC. You might have the fastest network connection which can be appreciated, but what steps do you take to secure your valuable data.

Normally, when you hit a new level of speed, the first change that happens is the change in modules for routers and high-end switches. Changes to security appliances and network monitoring will happen only towards the end. Let us discuss a few things that need attention to secure data:

Assessments

Audits on security and network assessments are mandatory to check if IT funds are being used effectively. They help you identify the strength & weakness and also areas that need your focus. Assessments are good for:

• Developing firms
• IPO organizations
• Organizations who pay attention to the security of data
• Businesses that have branches
• Health care and financial organizations
• Firms affiliated with large and government institutions
• Organizations who maintain the complete history of employees

Whether you like to invest in IT or just want to get some advice, assess your business to understand the strategy, strength, and weakness.

Encryption

Encryption is the best method to protect your valuable data. You might have sensitive details that require sharing with other business contacts and stored on IT machines. To perform this task with high security and encryption is the best option. Use an encryption technology that is legitimate so that exchanging information can be done with ease. So what does encryption do? It makes the content meaningless to everyone except the recipient of it.

Confidential and sensitive data is created on a daily basis and hence it is important to encrypt data and then secure it. If sensitive information is let out, your reputation will be at risk. However, you can stay away from trouble by encrypting the details and securing them in your backup files and servers.

Firewalls

Firewalls are great at protecting the system from hackers but they do come with certain limitations. It acts like the lock to your front door, but what about the other ways that someone can enter? Firewalls can’t protect

• Attacks that come via dial-up modems, wireless networks and internal employees
• The security of your network is at risk with Firewalls. When they face a failure, the data is exposed
• Firewall stops incoming threats but the management, archival procedures and destruction of electronic documents is not formatted

Firewall lacks the tools necessary to protect the electronic documents and encrypt sensitive information. Configure the Firewall setting with great care to avoid putting your company at risk.

Internal Employees

Are you aware that about 60 to 80% of network misuse is from within the company? Yes, you might have protected your data from hackers and others but your employees will have access to all the details. Employees can even run scripts which detect the passwords on any document. Just to be on the safer side, encrypt highly confidential data and deny access to the employees.

The confidential data file requires something more than a password. Employ “network security” audits which enforce security in the network and manage employees and their access to files.

Security Assessments

Allocating the security budget is not an easy task as thought to be. Analyze the issue and plan to throw some money in to an effective security assessment that addresses multiple security breaches. The network is open to new threats each day, updating the security assessment on a daily basis is highly impossible. But similar to anti-virus updates, security assessments come up with ideas that protect the network from being exploited.

In addition to these, keep changing your passwords frequently and maintain a password that is complex. Do not risk the trust that clients have on you. Come up with security procedures and policies that are hard to break.

Sasha loves to write about technology stuffs in any field. She has been a writer/blogger for four years and currently working for Internet Bundles where you can find great offers and details about verizon internet.