Security and computers have become synonymous with one another especially in the last several years as information has been both stolen and leaked to the public. Businesses who utilize computers heavily and rely on their networks for productivity and daily operations stand to lose quite a bit when there's a security breach or issue on their network. While these thoughts often have business owners/managers in a mental frenzy and always looking over their technological shoulder, there is good news. There are a great number of computer firms for higher that deal specifically with stepping up and monitoring network security for businesses of all sizes. While some small and midsize business owners might believe themselves immune to problems simply because they're too small to be worth the effort nothing could be further from the truth. The unscrupulous individuals that break into networks and either take, delete, or implant their own malicious information do not discriminate on the basis of company size.
Once hired companies that specialize in business network security do a number of things to keep intruders out and to keep sensitive and important data safe and secure. Perhaps best of all is these network security services cost relatively little compared to what it will cost to repair the damage caused by hackers/intruders. The money spent on data recovery, network repair, and public relations is often 5 to 10 times the amount of business owners/managers will spend keeping the network secure.
The first thing that network security professionals will do once hired is evaluate a network and its firewall. Networks without a firewall are at a significantly higher risk of not only data theft but Malware, virus, data theft, and spyware infections as well. A network without a firewall will receive one immediately once it is found there is none to be had. Professionals will also check to ensure that a network firewall is both modern and/or up-to-date. It's not uncommon for firewalls to be installed and then left for years at the time which only serves to reduce their effectiveness. Business owners should remember that a properly configured firewall is essentially the first line of defense their network has. It also determines the rules for which ports open and close. Improperly configured firewalls on networks are just as bad as networks with no firewall.
The second thing that professionals often evaluate when hired to step up network security for a business is passwords. Network and especially firewall passwords should never be left at their factory default as many hackers can figure out network and firewall passwords simply by identifying their make and model numbers. The more complicated and lengthy a network or firewall password is the more difficult it will be for anybody with bad intentions to do any damage. Professionals that find networks with poor, default, and even no passwords will promptly work closely with business owners and IT professionals to remedy that immediately.
Updating router firmware is the next thing professionals will address. Outdated router firmware is common, especially in small businesses, simply because business owners don't give them much thought and may not have an IT staff on hand to address those issues and to keep things up-to-date. Outdated router firmware exposes networks to hackers by being easier to to circumvent. It only takes a few moments to update router firmware and the amount of protection doing so brings is invaluable.
Many hackers employ simple methods to determine just how exposed a router and/or a firewall is to the outside world. The most simple method of all is to send ping requests out to certain networks. Gauging a networks response tells a hacker everything he/she needs to know about a network and just how vulnerable it may be. When professionals are hired to monitor and step up network security for businesses they will often block pings altogether or single out specific pings placing them in a sort of blacklist so that a network will not respond to them.
Professionals hired to improve network security often do a self scan to determine what ports are open and visible to other networks. In this sense they behave like a hacker so as to determine how vulnerable a specific network might be. Simply put it allows network security professionals to see what hackers see. Professionals can make adjustments within a network and within firewalls as well close any vulnerabilities that might be present.
Near the end of their evaluation, network security professionals will often lockdown a company's IP address. Left open IP addresses can make it easier than ever for attackers to come after a network. Locking down IP addresses dramatically reduces vulnerability and the number of attacks are actually attempted. When a businesses IP address goes unseen hackers will never know it's there.
Network security may seem a scary thing to business owners and some managers though it needn't be any more. Not only has security technology improved and usually moves faster than hackers these days but the professionals available for hire to monitor and improve network security for any business are extremely affordable. There are no longer any legitimate reasons for businesses of any size to forgo hiring someone to monitor or at the very least evaluate their network security.
TH2 specializes in network security and IT support.
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