How to Protect Your Network from a Breach
Posted by aonenetworks On March 15, 2013
If your network gets breached, it can cost you some serious cash to get it handled. A lot of small businesses, especially startups, simply don’t have that kind of money to hand out to fix the problems caused by a breach. When data is lost, not only do you need to reach out to your customers, you have to handle the massive amount of fallout that happens in response. Then, you need to figure out how to make sure it doesn’t happen again, which often means hiring expensive experts to patch up your network. The best way to deal with a network breach is to simply prevent it by following the tips below.
User Training and Safety
Your biggest issue with protecting your network is going to come from the people who are using your network. Often breaches happen innocently, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t dangerous. You need to start training your employees carefully so they know what they have to do to keep the office network safe. In addition, make sure your employees only have access to what they need and that they are not given additional admin powers that can be abused accidentally.
Have the Right Systems in Place
You might think it’s enough to have a workforce trained to protect your network, but that’s only the beginning. It’s also important to ensure that your technological framework is built to deflect network problems. This starts at the very simple level of installing patches, updating firewalls, and maintaining software applications. Your anti-virus software should also be updated when updates are available, and encrypting your data via SSL protocol is also an excellent idea when you have important data that you cannot afford to lose on a computer or in a network.
Monitor
Of course, you don’t want to be overly invasive, and you want to be able to trust your employees to some extent. However, if you’re employing an anti-virus and other anti-hacking programs, it’s important you monitor how THEY are doing. It’s essential you set up a routine schedule to check on things on a regular basis to see if anything seems out of place. For example, a hacking attempt often starts with over a hundred failed log-in attempts, and you should be able to see that happening.
Remember to stay vigilant so a network problem doesn’t happen to you. A small business is just as valuable as a large one, so contact your local ISP to see what they can do to help you.
