How Secure is Your Company’s Network?

computer_structured_cabling_va_beachNetwork security issues have been in the news a lot lately, from major consumer data breaches at retailers to the recent debacle at Sony.  Sadly, many small and mid-size businesses fail to have even the most basic security in place to protect their employees, their customers, and themselves.  Here are some of the most common problems we find.

1) Unsecure WiFi networks.
While it’s great to provide WiFi for your customers, it’s vital that any open WiFi network is not used for business purposes.  The network that’s used by employees should be secure and the SSID should be hidden.  The password should be changed from whatever the default was.

2) Out-of-date and/or poor quality virus protection software.
There is a lot of confusion about virus and malware protection.  For example, it’s not uncommon to see people install two different anti-virus programs, which can cause additional problems.  Also, many free programs come with a host of problems (like endless pop-ups) which end up distracting users from real potential threats.

3) Out-of-date software.
Do you have some computers on Windows 7 and some on Windows 8 in your office?  Or heaven forbid, still have a machine in the corner running Windows XP?  A mix of operating systems is fine, as long as they’re all up-to-date with the most recent security patches available.  However, if you have anything running XP, it’s time to get a new machine.  XP hasn’t been supported (i.e., there are no more security updates) since April, 2014.

If you want to make sure your network is secure, give us a call.  We can help whether your network is 10 computers or 500 at five different sites.