IT Network Security

An IT network is a system that connects hardware equipment and computers together using different mediums. An IT network in a local office that is not connected to the Internet is at no risk whatsoever because only the local office folks can access the data.

The trouble, and the need for IT network security, starts when it invariably gets connected to the Internet, which is the mother of all networks.

Every organization needs to be online for sharing of resources, obtaining information, global team collaboration, website publishing, and many other reasons. Once an IT network gets connected to the Internet, the organization’s informational assets become vulnerable to attacks.

The Internet, though informative, entertaining and collaborative, is a dangerous place that is buzzing with hackers, virus makers, data stealers, and other evil folks.

Hackers and data stealers are in the market to rob financial data, valuable company information, which can be sold or abused; Virus makers are in the game because they get their kicks when other’s hard work gets ruined. Look at WikiLeaks.

WikiLeaks are nothing but Internet wires that were intercepted and leaked out – just witness how their destructive power has shaken the world!

If they were not intercepted, the world would have been a much calmer place. Just like the US government, every company and individual has some critical information to protect from virus attacks, hackers, Trojans, malware, spam, phishes, and more – this is where IT network security steps in to help.

The importance of network security

Every IT department must take IT network security very seriously and install appropriate IT security software. Here are the reasons why network security is important:

1. If a competitor hacks into a business, he can figure out the business secrets and its future plans. It is common knowledge that most businesses employ ethical hackers to point out bugs and system vulnerabilities. But then ethical hackers can be used for hacking into competitors’ networks as well.
2. If a website’s database is stolen, the hacker can use it to create to create a same exact site with a different name. It could spell doom for a company’s intellectual property with years of hard work coming to zilch. Insiders can steal data or tell hackers how to steal it.
3. If a company sues hackers, it won’t get any substantial damages – that is, if it is able to locate them in the first place. On the contrary, it will get bad press because its customers will know that they are dealing with a company that cannot safeguard critical data.
4. Any data compromise can cripple an organization for many days thereby wasting profits and productivity. In times of economic downturns, the least an IT manager can do is ensure that there is no loss of man days.
5. If the company’s financials are leaked, and if the company is listed on the stock market, there can be hell to pay because the share price may react negatively to the leaks.
6. There could be a spate of costly suits as well. The company’s lawyers will chase the hackers, the vendors’ and customers’ lawyers will chase the company for breach of confidentiality and data loss, and suddenly, everything will hit the speeding fan. The lawyers will be the ones to benefit while the company ends up losing data and paying compensations.

There are many other reasons why IT network security is so important, but these were enough to convey the point.

What should a network security manager do?

1. He should install IT security software that guards against threats from employees. This can be footprint detecting software, or something more advanced that can trace all the employee’s activities on his computer on any given day.
2. The network security manager must safeguard all informational assets with advanced firewalls. All open ports must be secured and monitored.
3. All the latest patches of all the software in the organization must be downloaded and applied as and when any patch is released. Patches are built by software makers to fix bugs. Unpatched software can be vulnerable to attacks.
4. The authentication systems and processes must be very strong. Employees should be required to keep changing passwords regularly and a strong permissions policy must be followed. For example, a graphic designer who works on HTML editors and paint software should not be given access to software meant for editors.
5. The number of people administering the different facets must be limited. All such administrators must be clearly communicated about their responsibilities and how they will be held accountable if something goes wrong in their regime.
6. The IT manager must install sophisticated analytics tools that not just log the activities, but also help understand crashes, vulnerabilities, downtime, etc.
7. The manager must create a super-strong security policy and communicate it clearly to all the departmental managers and employees. He should hold organization-wide training sessions and ensure everybody knows and understands the policy.

Aside from these measures, the network security team must install the latest and the best IT security software to ensure that their company’s IT network security is never ever compromised.