When it comes to storing your business data, security is one of the most important factors that you must consider. Any breach could lead to serious problems, such as confidential customer data and even credit card details falling into the wrong hands.

Overly Simple Passwords

A recent article in the Telegraph highlighted one of the biggest problems in IT security –passwords. The average user, when asked to choose a password for a computer application, will often choose something that is very easy to remember – and frequently, very easy to guess, such as 123456 and the ubiquitous “password”. If your password is this easy to guess, then it’s almost – but not quite – as bad as having no password at all.

Using letter substitutions can help, like using the number 3 for the letter E, but as hackers become increasingly sophisticated, passwords like this become weaker.

To create a strong password, you should use random words, rather than common phrases – unconnected words like “correct horse battery staple” would be difficult for anyone to guess. (Note: please don’t use this example!)

Viruses

A virus on your work computer can cause anything from annoying popups which distract your staff to serious attacks which can bring down whole networks. To secure your network against viruses, there are two important steps – education and protection. Educate your staff on the importance of browsing the internet safely and on how to recognise potential threats; make sure that they know not to open attachments unless they come from trusted sources. Protect your network with up-to-date anti-virus software, and ensure that scans are run regularly and updated virus definitions are downloaded.

Insecure Networks

Network security is vital for any business; you need your employers to be able to connect to shared files, and often you need to allow them to work from home and access their email on the move. Making sure that they can do so without allowing access to unauthorised users requires having the right level of security on your network; we offer a full security review, which includes checking your firewall, VPN settings and server protection, to ensure that your network is secure.

Whether you’re concerned about the security of your network, looking for ongoing maintenance to reduce IT downtime, or simply need us to install the latest anti-virus software for you, we offer excellent IT support in Harrow, Hertfordshire and North/West London, so contact us and see how we can help you.