Should you secure  your network?

You might have heard about the 2020 cyber attack on SolarWinds creating a backdoor to systems running the SolarWinds product, or the Russian hackers that have been accused of tampering with voting systems in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Hackers are continuously looking for new vulnerabilities to exploit. When networks are not secured, information about organizations and individuals, and even our government are at risk of being exposed or leveraged against us.

What is a computer network?

An organization’s network can be either in-house systems or external systems hosted and managed by the organization’s external partners. On an internal network, we use computers and servers that run within an organization. Within an organization, an organization’s IT department manages the networking of computers, the devices connecting to the network, and the networks themselves. As a result, the physical security of your IT network is protected by physical security, as is the information on these computers. Your external IT partners are your business partners and have the ability to access a huge amount of business information, including employee information. Additionally, they have access to the information on the devices and networks they manage.

What are the risks of an unsecured computer network?

Unsecured networks are vulnerable to cyber attacks and cyber criminals. They put our personal information and information about our organization at risk. Information that we have on the computer can be stolen and used against us. We’ve already witnessed a number of data breaches this year, including the Equifax data breach and the WannaCry ransomware attack. In fact, the Equifax breach affected 143 million people, which is one of the worst records to date. Since last year’s WannaCry ransomware attack, organizations are at risk of having their systems infected with malware which can cause even more damage. It’s critical that organizations invest in a secure computer network to prevent and mitigate the potential damage that these attacks can cause to their organization.

How to secure a computer network

There a few ways a network can be protected using network security appliances such as those produced by our partner Cisco Meraki, network threat detection software or consider setting up two-factor authentication for logon, where your business first requires you to logon to the network using your user name and password. Then, every time you log on to the network, you have to enter a second code generated from a unique set of factors such as your cell phone number, your magnetic stripe or numerical card. This security measure is especially valuable for workstations that have sensitive information or require direct access to computer systems such as a storage or backup device. An added benefit to two-factor authentication is that it protects from phishing attacks, when someone steals your username and password and then tries to access your accounts they won’t gain access due to a lack of the second authentication code.

Final Thought

In the old days, the average business didn’t have to worry about these threats. But in today’s digital age, it’s essential to ensure the safety of your systems so that you can focus on what’s most important: growing your business.