George Bardissi, President Bardissi Enterprises
There are many companies out there that may not realize how “unsecure” they are in terms of their computers and networks. Here are some things to think about. First, the small and medium business market is the largest growing market in the United States. Being the largest growing market means that when it comes to illegal access to your system or attacks on your system this segment will soon be the most widely targeted. Here are some things to look for.
First, are your systems current? Are you running computers with supported software? As we mentioned before, on a base level, if you are running Windows 95, 98, ME, 2000 you might want to start to worry a little bit. Microsoft has already cut support in patches and OS fixes which creates vulnerabilities in these systems. The same goes for Microsoft Office 97and 2000. Start looking not too far down the road at upgrading your systems as Windows XP will not be supported in the near future. You have roughly 2 ½ to 3 years to pull the trigger. Do not wait until the last minute!
Second, do you have the proper anti-virus/spyware/malware protection? You should be subscribing to these software packages on an annual basis. If you haven’t purchased a new version or subscription of your anti-virus software recently, then most likely you have software installed on your system that has not received new virus definitions or notifications and your computer is open to and a target for all sorts of nasty viruses and hackers.
George Bardissi, President Bardissi Enterprises
There are many companies out there that may not realize how “unsecure” they are in terms of their computers and networks. Here are some things to think about. First, the small and medium business market is the largest growing market in the United States. Being the largest growing market means that when it comes to illegal access to your system or attacks on your system this segment will soon be the most widely targeted. Here are some things to look for.
First, are your systems current? Are you running computers with supported software? As we mentioned before, on a base level, if you are running Windows 95, 98, ME, 2000 you might want to start to worry a little bit. Microsoft has already cut support in patches and OS fixes which creates vulnerabilities in these systems. The same goes for Microsoft Office 97and 2000. Start looking not too far down the road at upgrading your systems as Windows XP will not be supported in the near future. You have roughly 2 ½ to 3 years to pull the trigger. Do not wait until the last minute!
Second, do you have the proper anti-virus/spyware/malware protection? You should be subscribing to these software packages on an annual basis. If you haven’t purchased a new version or subscription of your anti-virus software recently, then most likely you have software installed on your system that has not received new virus definitions or notifications and your computer is open to and a target for all sorts of nasty viruses and hackers.
Third, do you have a firewall that is really protecting you? Many people are depending on home based firewalls built into broadband routers such as Linksys, Belkin, and Netgear and so on. If you are a business these home based devices will not protect you as much as you think they will. Make a small investment and go to a firewall that is built more for business level protection. Some companies that come to mind would be Watchguard or Sonicwall. These devices are hardware as well as software which means that the manufacturers release firmware updates just like your anti-virus manufacturers release virus definitions. Keeping your firewall up-to-date is just as important as anything else because it is your first line of defense.
Fourth, do you have a company computer usage policy and is it being enforced? I personally have run into more than one company in the last 30 days that actually does have a computer usage policy but has not been enforcing it. What does your policy say? What does your company allow in terms of music playing, music downloading, software installation, web surfing, etc? Many problems start from people going places on the web and doing things they should not be doing at work. Remember, computers at work are Work Stations not Personal Computers. You can use technology to enforce your company’s policy by blocking access to certain sites, blocking installation of software without proper access, and blocking downloading of content with improper access.
Fifth, are you sure your computer operating systems are being updated? Just because you set the up dates to run automatically does not mean that they get installed just like that. Many companies are seriously behind in Windows updates because they failed to realize that something popped up to install updates or neglected to make sure they install at a time when the PC is actually on! The same goes for Mac.
There is this widely held notion that the chances of getting a virus on a Mac are nonexistent. Well folks think again! The true reason Mac has not been a target for many viruses or vulnerabilities in the past are because there weren’t enough of them out there not because they are incapable of getting a virus. What do I mean? The people who actually code viruses and attack systems are after data of some kind. It does not make sense to write a virus for a system that is few and far between. Now that Mac has gained a lot of popularity, especially with the younger crowd, you better watch out because there have already been more viruses for Mac and IPod in the past few months then there was for all of 2006! Make sure you are also running anti-virus software on your Macs. Yes they do make them check with the main stream companies such as Symantec, MacAfee, etc. for Mac based software.
Sixth, just like you service your cars and yourselves by going in for a regular checkup it would not hurt to have your computers serviced. If you spend a little bit of money now and again to make sure everything is running the way it should, then it would be less then paying someone to fix your system if it crashed. Consider it your 3000 mile oil change. You wouldn’t let your car’s engine go to 35,000 miles without an oil change because you know that the engine will seize. Well, your computer is just like your car. If left, without preventative maintenance, it will eventually develop problems and seize up when you need it the most. I would recommend having your system checked every 3 or 4 months but if your budget does not allow for that, then at least a minimum of once a year.
