Posts Tagged ‘IT audit’

Security in 3 Dimensions

Tuesday, March 22nd, 2011

Data security is a key element of business success. However, the more that you look into your options, the more that you’ll realize that three components must come together to ensure your company’s IT security.

First, your company must have policies in place related to data. Your staff must be made aware of these policies that pertain to password use, data flow, network security, firewalls and virus prevention, email requirements, and the use of third-party viagra and tools. Award winning software from Check Point is one example of a product that lets you specifically target network security solutions to your business security needs. Keeping your security operations simple and affordable at the same time.

Then, your company must involve your staff. On one hand, this means making sure that they are aware of the policies that you’ve put in place. On the other, it means giving them the opportunity to contribute to policies, to provide insight into areas where security could be tighter, and ensuring that the entire team is working together to protect company information.

Finally, it’s important to have an enforcement policy in place. Be sure that you know how violations of your company’s security policy will be addressed, and ensure that the policy will be enforced consistently – whether the person violating it is a new hire or a manager with 15 years or more of experience.

Data encryption, password protected databases, user roles: all of these elements play a role in creating and ensuring IT security. However, when you have the right policies in place, your staff are on board to follow those policies and suggest additional measures that can be taken, and a strong enforcement policy is in place, your company can count on security in three dimensions.

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Five Ways DLP Protects Your Company

Wednesday, December 1st, 2010

There are people out there who want your company’s data. From nefarious plots to scam the public to simple acts of digital vandalism, your company’s sensitive information is a target. And the threat isn’t just outside your company. Even within your own walls, there’s the possibility of malicious systems use and abuse. Some of the threats are easy to identify, while others are subtle. Given the wide range of risks your company faces, it’s easy to understand why data loss prevention (DLP) – such as Check Point’s endpoint security solutions – should be a crucial part of your IT security infrastructure.

Before you roll out a DLP solution, it helps to know how your company is exposed. Let’s start with five major threats for which DLP solutions provide protection:

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Prepare for an IT Security Audit with Integrated Endpoint Security

Tuesday, November 9th, 2010

Almost nothing is as hectic and stressful as getting ready for an IT security audit. You examine systems, run through your checklists and brace yourself for the findings, wondering what emergency projects will wind up on your team’s plate. Instead of readying yourself to react to the results, it’s better to implement measures in advance. Take a hard look at your IT security infrastructure even before your next IT audit is scheduled, and identify the gaps that you need to fill before a sense of urgency arises.

Among the greatest challenges faced by IT security professionals is the need for integration. Disparate solutions, even if they are best of breed, can lead to operational complexity: your team is left to monitor a number of different systems, which can create significant security risks. It’s easier in this type of environment for some incidents to fall through the cracks.

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Compliance, Disaster Recovery and Cost Containment

Monday, August 30th, 2010

This is the three-part goal of any storage management operation. You have to comply with relevant regulations, be prepared to bring our company back to normal following a catastrophe and do it all while spending as little money as possible. This is possible … all of it. You just need to find the opportunities for improving efficiency throughout your storage infrastructure. Storage virtualization can make the difference.

Perhaps the greatest myth bout regulatory compliance in the IT department is that it entails a substantial unavoidable cost. Execute your datacenter compliance measures prudently, in fact, and you could actually realize a cost savings. This is especially true of disaster recovery systems and processes, where reliable and fast solutions that are easy to manage can keep expenses down, if not deliver an actual reduction in TCO.

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Trust Nobody: Protect Your Network Endpoints

Monday, June 28th, 2010

Ask most IT professionals to explain their greatest data security fears, and you’ll probably hear a lot about outside threats. The greater concern, though, is inside your company. Employee theft or misuse of data can lead to severe consequences – at least as grave as those from an outsider’s malice – and it could take your company years to recover. Yet, security inside the business tends not to receive the attention that it deserves. Your data, your clients and your company’s viability are at risk: it’s time to take action.

The inside threat is the most significant you’ll face. “Employee compliance with corporate data security policies is on the wane,” according to the Ponemon Institute, a threat potentially more serious than that of malicious outsiders. But, all eyes are pointed outward, either because employees are believed to be trustworthy (which may be true the vast majority of the time) or because external attacks are the events that seem to snare headlines and capture the imagination.

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