The best approach to IT network security

Most businesses tend to feel safe as long as they see their Anti-Virus icon sitting happily in the bottom right corner of their Windows desktop. Although this is one of the IT security requirements, it is only the beginning.

Remember, if your current IT provider still bills for hourly onsite support, why would they pro-actively monitor and look after your system when it is advantageous for them to have to come onsite and fix your IT issues.

MLogic introduces the 6 essential layers of network security

IT Security

 

The Multi-Layered Approach to IT Security

Keeping your business secure should be one of your key objectives. To do this you need to make sure that your IT provider is using a multi-layered approach to IT security.

 

1. Cloud Endpoint Protection. The pretty little icon in the bottom corner that tells you everything is OK, needs to be a next-gen cloud based anti-virus and anti-malware solution, otherwise it is just that, a pretty little icon. It is no longer enough to have an on-premise AV solution that relies on signature updates to keep you safe. The recent WannaCry outbreak was a wake-up call to all business and shows how the traditional AV software is basically helpless against this new breed of attacks. Read Webroot’s blog regarding WannaCry here

 

2. Cloud email security is now a must. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking, “my email is hosted, so its safe”. Most businesses are not aware that Office 365 and Google Apps offer very basic Anti-SPAM and Anti-virus services. Cloud based email security will scan and filter every email before you see it in Outlook, eliminating one of the most popular sources of malware.

 

3. Cloud web security, the often forgotten piece of the puzzle. This type of solution has evolved over the years and has now become very easy to setup and deploy and no longer interferes with your internet connection. A high percentage of malware these days is coming from links to websites in emails, and malware embedded in websites. Cloud Web security will prevent your browser from being able to access a web page that has malware or is on a known list of suspicious sites.

 

4. Business Grade Firewall. All businesses use some kind of firewall or router, whether its the one provided by the ISP when you ordered your NBN connection, or a device your IT provider installed for you. These firewalls all have the basic security features, but are easier to exploit than business grade firewalls with enterprise protection. Enterprise protection will add valuable security to your firewall such as, Intrusion detection and prevention, another layer of Anti-malware protection, and advanced threat protection.

 

5. Automated patching. The network security layers listed above are all important parts of your network security. The one thing that has surprised me more than anything else over the years is un-patched systems. I am amazed at the number of times I have walked into a business to conduct a network audit only to find servers and workstations are not updated, 3rd party applications are not updated, hardware drivers and firmware are not updated on servers and network equipment. The current IT provider is still billing for “managed services” but all these critical systems are left unpatched. These are all exploits that the bad guys are looking for to get access to your system.

 

6. Cloud BDR (Backup and Disaster Recovery). Ransomware is only successful if there is only one copy of the data. Now the bad guys have got smarter and your onsite backups to NAS devices and USB drives are also being attacked. The answer is Cloud Backup. Reliable and encrypted cloud backup is a vital component of a comprehensive layered security approach and is excellent defence against ransomware attacks.

 

If you would like more information on network security please contact MLogic IT Solutions

 

 

 

Do you want to boost your business today?

About time to take your IT to the next level? Get in touch today for your complimentary M-Vision audit to find out where your current technology is letting you down.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.