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It’s becoming more apparent every year that IT support providers in Houston need to devote closer attention to security to protect businesses from cyberattacks. Even the best security systems can get hacked, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make it as difficult as possible for cybercriminals. New paradigms that address this issue are emerging, with the most effective solution involving multiple layers of security. Here are ways to add maximum protection to your business:
Strengthening Enterprise Security
Every business needs to evaluate its security department on a regular basis, whether it’s run by one IT specialist or a team of technicians. If it’s been years since you checked the strength of your security, it’s time to make it a top priority. Traditionally, IT support providers in Houston have focused on network infrastructure security, while facilities officials have managed the physical aspects of security that protect your building and production lines. These days, these departments need to work closer together to share data and develop integrated security measures for the entire enterprise.
This concept of converging IT with facilities teams, however, is often easier said than done. In order to achieve this goal, it’s necessary to use common tools to bridge these two worlds together. One problem that requires analysis and brainstorming from both teams is that the networks must remain secure as increased data flows through both systems.
Developing Deeper Defense Layers
A strategy known as “defense-in-depth” presupposes that protection will at some point be breached. But that merely motivates IT and facilities personnel to develop more intense layers of protection in the areas of physical, electronic, and procedural security systems. Here are characteristics of this strategy that will help reduce risks and protect your assets:
- The infrastructure includes built-in system security from inception
- Security is designed so that hackers must face a series of barriers
- Any given weakness in a layer can be offset by strengths in another layer
These defense-in-depth strategies can be applied to building security, networks, hardware, software, and devices. Your physical security may include guards, gates, locks, and other methods that keep intruders from entering your physical property without credentials or permission. It may also involve information that allows access, such as a code. Meanwhile, network security involves firewalls and configurations.
Computer hardening is a multi-dimensional solution that provides protection layers for your computers through antivirus software, host intrusion-detection systems (HIDS) and clearing out old software that is no longer needed. You can protect hardware by closing unused ports. These hardening strategies can be combined with software patches designed to remove viruses and malware.
You can provide better protection for your applications by using strong usernames, passwords, and encryption. For devices, it’s important to reconfigure security settings beyond the manufacturer’s defaults. This strategy applies to routers, switches, and other embedded devices.
Conclusion
You may have heard that no system is completely secure in today’s wild world of cyber vulnerabilities. Unfortunately, that’s the reality that all businesses face. Fortunately, there are proven techniques that create hassles for hackers if you take the time to protect the various layers of your business that you entrust your IT support providers in Houston and building security officials to oversee. Contact us at ICS to learn more about options we can provide to help make your business as secure as possible.
Further reading
ICS is a Texas-based 40-year-old technology company specializing in Managed IT, VoIP, Video Conferencing and Video Surveillance solutions for US and International businesses. ICS has over 4000 regional installations and specializes in multi-site businesses between 25 and 2500 employees. ICS’s customers enjoy the experience of ICS’s Total Care program which provides clients flat fee services with obsolescence and growth protection. Whether a customer elects to deploy their IT, Video Conferencing or VoIP in the cloud or on the customer’s premise, ICS can provide a full turn-key solution for our clients under one flat monthly fee.