Every organization is aware of the importance of security – security of the building, security for employees and financial security are all a priority; however, an organization comprises many other assets that require security, most notably its IT infrastructure. An organization’s network is the lifeline that employees rely on to do their jobs and subsequently make money for the organization. Therefore it’s important to recognize that your IT infrastructure is an asset that requires top security. The question is, what should one secure against?

Spam

The No.1 enemy to all email users has got to be spam. Having your inbox fill up with useless messages that promote fake designer goods, bogus get-rich quick schemes and insinuate that you need to improve your love skills is not fun and is definitely not the reason for which you signed up for an email account. Unfortunately spam is a growing problem with research claiming that up to 94% of all emails that are sent are actually spam! That is a huge number when you consider just how prevalent email usage is nowadays. Spam presents an even bigger problem than just being irritating; it can also be harmful. Whilst some spammers do nothing more than direct you to websites to try and sell you things that you don’t need, there are spammers of the more spiteful variety who will include malicious links in their emails that when clicked on will download spyware, malware or other harmful files onto your machine. Therefore one of the first security solutions that you want to have on your server or workstation is anti-spam software.

Viruses

If a virus hits it’s always bad news. A virus can copy itself and infect other machines without the user even knowing that the machine has been infected until disaster strikes. If a virus hits the network then it’s likely to propagate to files on other machines that are connected to the network. Viruses can also spread via email, instant messaging, an intranet and other shared networks causing networks and machines to overload or crash. They can also capture keystrokes which is where the problem of security lies because passwords and banking details can be revealed in this manner. Viruses can cause major security risks and start a cycle of problems for an organization. Implementing an anti-virus solution can save your network and all your files and emails that could easily be lost and corrupted.

Malware

Malware comprises a variety of malicious software types such as Trojans, worms and spyware which will infiltrate your machine without you even realizing. Once your machine is infected it could easily spread to executable files on other machines that are connected to the network thus causing an IT epidemic. Whilst some malware is created simply to disrupt a system, other malware is used for financial gain. Spyware, botnets and keystroke loggers all have malicious intentions as they take control of infected machines and use them to continue proliferating the attack; they also track user’s login details for the sites that they use thus violating their privacy, as well as taking note of credit card details if the user buys something over the Internet. Furthermore if the user has an online banking account, those login details are also tracked and reported back to the host of the malware. Malware encompasses more than just viruses; however, an anti-virus solution is the solution to this ever-growing problem. Keeping your anti-virus up-to-date is key to keeping your machine clean and malware-free; failure to do so will leave you open to attack.

Network monitoring

Networks, servers, workstations – they all need to work seamlessly together for an organization to run its day-to-day tasks. If a server crashes, then the workstations are affected and people can’t carry on with their work. If the network fails the repercussions will affect the entire organization, and in turn affect production levels. So monitoring the network and servers regularly is a main task for any IT administrator; using network and server monitoring software this task can be automated with reports being generated on a regular basis. Server downtime equals business downtime which leads to a loss of profits – which all organizations want to avoid.

Vulnerability scanning and patch management

Vulnerability issues, patch management and network auditing are all security features that need to be addressed when dealing with networks. Leaving ports open is one of the most common security liabilities and attackers are aware of this. Scanning your network for open ports, machines that are vulnerable to infection is the first step to security. Once the scan is complete, patches must be deployed on all machines that are at risk of infection. By assessing your network and keeping up-to-date with all patches you greatly reduce the risk of security attacks occurring.

Written by Giselle Borg Oliver, August 3, 2009, care of www.gfi.com

A large number of Wireless Internet issues can be fixed before you have to contact someone.  Here's a quick checklist of what to look for when you are having issues connecting to the internet wirelessly.

Start by checking your physical connections.  If you have a jumble of wires like most people do at their wireless access point something could have easily been bumped or unplugged.  Double check both ends of the cables, see if the lights are lit up on your router and modem then move to the next step.  (If cable appears damaged it probably is, luckily they're cheap)

Check to make sure the wireless access point (router, or wireless modem...) is installed and working properly.  You might have to break out the CD to reinstall your wireless hardware, but at least you'll know it's working properly.

Make sure your computer is set up to receive a wireless signal.  I'm guilty of going through all the steps just to find that I bumped a button that turned my wireless off for my laptop.  Once you have verified it's on check on your computer's control panel for available wireless networks.  If yours is there, click connect and then you're set, if not.  Keep reading.

Check your computer network settings.  Sometimes you have to type in the IP address to have it connect.  For windows computers go to network connections, pick the connection, choose properties.  Select the TCP/IP protocol (V4 for Vista users) and click properties.  The settings should be set to detect both IP address and DNS server automatically, if not, make sure they are.  If there are any numbers in the fields already be sure to write them down before changing the selection, in the event you need to go back to them.

Still not working?  How about something more simple, like changing the location of your access point.  Move your antenna, change its position to see if you notice a difference, that's what it's there for.  Try changing the location of it, move it up higher, away from windows, to a more central location, and try to avoid physical obstructions which decrease the range.  Experiment until you find a practical, working one. 

If you still aren't having any luck, get your computer to somewhere that has internet and update your operating system.  Microsoft and Mac have newer versions and updates available through their websites and you can fix a lot of minor bugs simply by keeping up to date on updates.

If you're still not having any luck give us a call and we'll help you out.

Your very own technology solutions company, InterTechPro, is expanding and you can help.  iTP is currently working on growing by providing IT support services and products with continued 100% customer satisfaction to midsized companies looking for a technology solutions.  Everything from websites and data solutions to help desk support, and custom programming is offered to facilitate a more efficient work environment.  For more information on what iTP does, or can do for your company,  you or someone you know can visit their website at www.intertechpro.com. 

Internet Explorer has certainly come a long way since version 6.  IE8 is a big improvement and sport a number of very useful features.

One of those is the ability to access more than one CM account (or any other account that utilizes sessions). Head to the file menu and click New Session and IE8 will spawn a new window that doesn't share session information with the original window.

To launch a new window from a shortcut, just add the -nomerge parameter to the end of the target on its properties page. Double click it, and the new window will open free of any baggage from previously launched instances of IE.