A secure network is essential to protecting your business and to keeping it profitable. There are several things you can do to prevent disaster and ensure peace of mind.

First- Perform Auditing and Mapping.

It’s important to have a clear understanding of your entire network’s infrastructure – for instance, make sure you and your team know the details of all of your equipment’s vendors, model information and locations and to keep track of the basic configuration of your firewalls, routers, switches and wireless access points.

Additionally, it’s best to know exactly what servers, computers, printers, and any other devices are connected to the network, where they are connected, and what their connectivity path is throughout the network.

Through an auditing and mapping session, you might find specific security vulnerabilities or other ways in which you could increase security, performance and reliability.

If you’re working with a small network with just a few components and a dozen or less workstations, you might perform the audit manually and create a visual map on a sheet of a paper. For larger networks, you might find auditing and mapping programs useful. They can scan the network and produce a network map or diagram.

Secondly- Keep the Network Up-to-Date.

Once you have a basic network audit and map complete, consider looking deeper. It’s possible to check for firmware or software updates on all network infrastructure components. Simply login to the components to ensure default passwords have been changed, review the settings for any insecure configurations and look into any other security features you currently aren’t using which might be helpful.

Third- Physically Secure the Network.

Although it’s often overlooked or minimized, the physical security of the network can be just as crucial as your internet facing firewall. Just as you need to protect against hackers, bots and viruses, you need to protect against local physical threats, too.

Without strong physical security of your building and network, a nearby hacker or even an employee could take advantage of it. For instance, some unauthorized person could plug a wireless router into an open Ethernet port, giving them and anyone else nearby wireless access to your network. But if that Ethernet port isn’t visible or disconnected when not in use, it eliminates the issue.

Ensure you have a good building security plan in place to try to prevent outsiders from entering. Then, ensure all wiring closets and/or other places where the network infrastructure components are placed have been physically secured from both the public and employees. Use door and cabinet locks, verify that any Ethernet cabling is run out of sight and isn’t easily accessible and protect wireless access points. Disconnect unused Ethernet ports, physically or via switch/router configuration, especially those in the public areas of the building.

And lastly-

Even with the best firewalls, antivirus products and other security hardware and software in place, no network or computer is 100% secure. Sadly, the weakest link in the security chain for corporate networks is often the users themselves. Ensuring that users have a basic understanding of information security and a little common sense can yield much higher dividends than the latest applications.
● Strong Passwords – Users hear it constantly, but many still aren’t listening.
1. User tip: Passwords should contain a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters as well as numbers or special symbols (like % or $).
2. User tip: Passwords should never be something simple like the name of your son or your birth date.
● Avoid Phising Scams – User tip: No reputable company or tech support department will ask you to provide your username, password, social security number or other sensitive information in an e-mail. Also, never click on Web links within unsolicited e-mail.

These basic steps can keep your network running as smoothly and efficiently as possible.

Call us on 1300 170 491 for more information regarding network safety and we will be happy to discuss all the ways you can keep your business secure.