What do we Mean by Security?

Most of us are familiar with the concept of network security within an organisation.  There are areas of the network that all users can access, for instance a general data area, and those that are restricted to only a few users such as accounts data.

By adding an external link to a network the risks to network security increase exponentially.  This external link might be to the Internet or to another regional office.

So What are the Threats?

All security breaches are from a single point of access.  Whether they are a competitor, an employee or a hacker they must connect to the network to cause harm or gain information. 

 …and the business threats?

• Theft of proprietary information – identifies the need to keep your competitors away from your industrial secrets
• Denial of service – common against large e-business sites and can cause your servers to be overloaded by fake information causing them to crash.
• Sabotage of data – malicious attack on your data for no apparent reason
• Viruses – which are easily spread by e-mail and visits to unauthorised web sites.
• Financial fraud – a particular risk to companies holding credit card information.
   

Common Security Misconceptions

• Leased lines are always secure – which is not unreasonable considering the connection is point to point.  However, to save costs the telecoms companies often route your information across their public network thus exposing your information.
• My network is 100% secure! – quite simply there is no such thing.  With a carefully written security policy the treats can be minimised, but never eliminated.
• All security risks are from external sources – again, not true.  In fact most security treats are from internal users.
• We’ve already implemented a security plan so it is no longer a concern – every day hackers are becoming more ingenious and as a result your security policy should be dynamic and always changing.
• My network is secure, I have a firewall – there is no doubt that a correctly configured firewall offers excellent protection against security threats.  But do remember that it only forms a part of a complete security solution.
• My network is only small, no one would be interested in hacking me – not true. Any presence on the Internet identifies a target for malicious attack.  Hackers will often pick an IP range and scan all of the devices on it to find any weaknesses.
   

So how can ESP Help Secure My Network?

There isn’t a simple answer to this question because the best solution often requires a combination of security tools.  Typically these might be:

• Firewalls – which protects your network from external hazards.  It monitors network traffic and decides what should be allowed in or out of your networks.
• Digital certificates – each authorised user to your network is issued with a digital passport that uniquely identifies the individual to your organisation.
• Security policies – with a correctly implemented security policy you can minimise the damage that an unauthorised visitor can do to your network.
• User education – however sophisticated your security measures are, if your users don’t understand them or how to use them then they become worthless.  A common example is the disclosure of passwords.
• Virtual Private Networking – which essentially is a secure connection across a public network like the Internet.

Typically customers utilise ESP’s expertise to help them write a security policy to keep their data secure or help them to prevent unauthorised access to their network when they purchase a connection to the Internet.  With a permanent connection to the Internet huge cost savings over traditional leased line WAN connections can be realised between head office locations and regional offices and teleworkers.  Even small companies with a few employees now have the technology in their grasp to access their work wherever they are in the world.

To find out how you can benefit from the ESP experience call 0118 916 9300 now or send an e-mail to sales@esp.co.uk
 

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