Posts Tagged ‘security’

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Can You Easily Guide the Forensic Process?

Wednesday, April 27th, 2011

There are a wide range of IT professionals who need to access data for investigative purposes. Maybe you‘ve been seeing an increase in computer viruses, and need to identify the source of the problem or you’ve seen productivity lost because too much time was spent on social networking sites. Maybe you’ve been seeing an increase in computer viruses, and need to identify the source of the problem or you’ve seen productivity lost to too much time spent on social networking sites. Worse, maybe you’ve noticed that some files have gone missing and need to identify which employee – or employees – are responsible for the theft of your company’s intellectual property.

Investigating any of these – and many other – situations has often required contacting forensic investigators, security professionals, or setting up incident response teams. Lawyers are often involved as well as teams comb through records, collect and analyze data, and then preserve their findings so that action can be taken. As you might guess, the costs of these investigations can add up quickly – even before you begin looking at the cost of lost time and work if your systems must be taken offline.

Fortunately, there are options available that can reduce your costs, enable you to monitor all computers and workstations on your network, and allow day-to-day operations to continue seamlessly. Guidance Software is respected as a leader in digital investigations, and their EnCase Enterprise bundle will provide you with all of the tools you need to:

1. Perform computer-based forensic investigations
2. Identify misuse of company software and systems
3. Ensure staff compliance with IT policies
4. Effectively manage information and prevent theft of intellectual property
5. Keep your company’s IT network running smoothly

When you set an IT policy meant to prevent fraud and protect your network, it’s because you want to reduce the risk of system downtime. Similarly, when you want to limit the time your staff spend on activities that aren’t work-related, it’s important to be sure that you know your staff are viagra established guidelines. If a more serious breach occurs, limiting the potential damage is critical.

By taking advantage of the right tools, you can conduct your own investigations, meet the demands of your business, and save time and money in the process. Regardless of the situation you find yourself in, having the right tools available will let you deal with it quickly and appropriately – minimizing the impact on your business.

Listen to our latest webinar with Guidance Software: Best Practices for Investigating Incidences Across the Network

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Can the Cloud Help You Drive Down Business Costs?

Tuesday, March 29th, 2011

There are two ways to increase your company’s revenue and boost the bottom line. You can excel at winning new clients and make additional sales to increase revenues. Or you can cut costs. Ideally, most businesses will look for a combination of the two. Cloud computing can help to accomplish this.

Cloud computing allows you to take advantage of hardware and software as a service. Rather than buying the equipment and making space for a server room – and, of course, hiring an IT staff dedicated to maintaining that equipment – your company can backup data offsite without sacrificing its availability. With a secure infrastructure, password-protected access, and optimized resources in a managed cloud solution, you can be sure that the data you need is available when you need it.

Similarly, with software as a service, cloud computing makes it easy for your staff to access email, documents, data, and reports on the go – all via a secure, web-based login. Whether traveling for a client meeting, working with a team in another location, or telecommuting, the cloud can ensure that your staff are working as effectively as if they were in the office.

Additionally, this sort of mobile access allows company executives and staff to handle everything from inventory tracking to project management to customer relationship management from the office and on the road. Security can be managed easily, and maintaining the equipment doesn’t require additional space or additional staff.

In other words, when you take your business to the cloud – whether for hardware or software as a service (or a combination of the two) – you will find that you are able to increase the access that your staff have to information that they need – allowing them to excel and drive sales. You’ll also discover that your staffing and equipment needs decrease. As a result, you will find that you are able to:

* Maximize the return on your IT investments
* Increase utilization of your current IT technology
* Enhance the lifespan of existing server equipment
* Integrate data storage and access from a variety of platforms

Increasing your company’s capabilities will allow you to keep pace with your competitors. Decreasing costs will allow you to budget effectively; turning to the cloud allows you to devote resources to product development rather than to maintaining your company’s IT.

By turning to the cloud with the help of a solution provider like IBM, you will be able to ensure that your resources are as efficient as possible, reduce the risks of turning to the cloud by relying on a secure infrastructure, and – ultimately – reduce the costs associated with IT at your organization.

Posted in Uncategorized, virtualization | 60 Comments »

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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.

Posted in Endpoint Security & Management | 1 Comment »

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For True End-point Security, Get Preemptive

Tuesday, March 1st, 2011

Data protection matters regardless of what business you’re in. Healthcare providers, technology companies, banks, retail outlets: no matter what your business involves, there is sensitive data. And if you wait until there’s a problem, you’ve waited too long. You should never find yourself in a position in which you look at one endpoint or another in an effort to secure your network – especially because it’s possible to address all of your security needs with a unified solution.

Business owners are aware of antivirus and anti-spyware tools, and most use them on office and personal computers. Firewalls are used with frequency as well. Full-disk encryption, network access control, port protected media encryption, and even VPN for remote access are used on some networks as well.

All of these elements are available individually – but most business owners don’t want to – or don’t have the time to – monitor multiple software installations to keep them up to date. Many others aren’t sure that it’s worth the cost that comes from buying multiple tools. As a result, they make the choice to go with what they know. They buy some tools – the ones that they think they need – and install those on the system and hope for the best. The challenge is that sometimes hoping all of the endpoints are covered isn’t enough. Then they are left reacting – and scrambling to make things right with their customers or clients.

Rather than putting your own business at risk, why not take a preemptive approach? You can secure your data completely with the right tools – tools like the Check Point DLP Software Blade. On any Check Point security gateway, the blade will simplify management of your company’s security policy and protect your data in a wide range of file formats. Real-time remediation, consistent inspections, and alerts to all users offer full protection.

In business, it can be difficult – if not impossible – to prepare for every possible situation. You can never tell when your customers will have issues or when a project will go over budget. But you can protect the data on your computer network – and you can do so in a way that isn’t stressful. When you can mitigate malware, protect data, enforce your network security policy compliance, offer secure remote access, simplify system control and management, and streamline the user experience for all of you staff – all with a single solution – why not take advantage of it?

Posted in Endpoint Security & Management | 132 Comments »

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Is a Next-Generation Firewall in Your Future? Should It Be?

Wednesday, December 15th, 2010

Security and performance are always difficult to balance. The need to secure your network and applications is obvious, but to do so at the expense of performance impedes productivity. If security prevents employee efficiency, your company risks assuming a completely new set of costs. Traditional firewall solutions have done little to help with this situation.

To address this challenge, a new type of firewall is entering the market. Called “next-generation firewalls,” they sweep traffic efficiently for intrusion prevention and maintain an awareness of applications going through it for policy enforcement and identity-based application use. This new approach to firewalls is powerful, dynamic and intelligent, providing a new level of functionality and security without compromising application or network performance.

Long considered something for the future, next-generation firewalls have already come to market, and they’ve had a few years to mature. Palo Alto Networks, for example, is considered to be the first IT equipment manufacturer to move into this space, having come to market in 2007 with its first product. Now, Palo Alto has moved into the industry-leader position, with more than 2,200 customers and a comparatively mature next-generation firewall solution.

NetworkWorld reports:

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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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Work from a Secure Office, even on the Road

Monday, October 18th, 2010

Nobody plans to throw caution to the wind – it just happens to us sometimes. When your company’s employees are out on the road, they may have to connect and work quickly. Whether it’s routine business or a serious client emergency, it isn’t unusual for road warriors to use free airport wifi, a signal from Starbucks or even a PC in the hotel business center.

In trying to keep up with the needs of the company, they could be opening the company up to the risk of data loss. From time to time, people forget to close files, log out of applications or delete items intended for temporary use. As a result, sensitive information becomes freely available to anybody who’s looking, and the wrong set of eyes could cost your organization years of market development, brand rehabilitation and customer confidence.

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Data Encryption: Give Your Security Policies Built-in Enforcement

Thursday, October 7th, 2010

Whether you’re looking to set an internal baseline or comply with external regulations, you’ve probably had to create an IT security policy. In doing so, you’ve defined the “rules of the road” for your employees and created a framework for protecting your company’s data. There’s only one problem: policies are only as reliable as the people who are supposed to follow them. If an employee forgets or breaks the rules, your data – and your entire company – could be put at risk. Frankly, there’s no substitute for solutions such as automated data encryption from Symantec PGP.

Policies, in themselves, provide little protection. They become more effective when paired with monitoring programs and consequences, of course, but these measures are usually retrospective. Some monitoring frameworks are designed to identify likely breaches, but too often, they are focused on determining when a policy violation has occurred … which leaves you stuck fixing a problem instead of preventing it. This means the best you can do is contain the damage – to your brand, client relationships and budget.

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Five Ways to Turn Policies into Real Data Security

Monday, October 4th, 2010

Security policies are guidelines to be enforced – they don’t provide real results. At the end of the day, there’s no substitute for active protection. Don’t rely merely on policies to keep your data safe. Instead, implement data security solutions that transform your internal controls into tangible protective measures. Here are five ways you can turn rules into actual security.

1. Automate your security processes: Instead of spelling out the rules to your staff, use a security solution that allows you to implement customized controls and restrictions that ensure your data can be reached only by the employees who have a reason to do so.

2. Use access control: Don’t just tell employees what they can see and what they should avoid. Use a solution such as Juniper Networks Access Control to grant or prevent employees from reaching sensitive or otherwise restricted systems and data.

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