Introduction

There are many ways to keep a network secure and in terms of priorities that should definitely be one of the highest ones on the list for both small and large corporations. Even individuals that are looking for a way to protect information on their computer should look into the idea of keeping their network secure. There are many ways to go about doing this and indeed whole courses at schools are dedicated to this one simple concept, but there are definitely three tips that will help you get things started.

Tip #1: Outsource

This is perhaps the tip that applies most to larger and medium sized corporations and less to individuals and small businesses, but it is definitely the ideal as far as handling the situation goes. Keeping a network secure is one of the most difficult things a person can do and because of this people train for years at University and other post secondary institutions in order to be able to handle these things. People can actually take a decade or more to earn their Ph. D. in Computer Science and if you have the ability, why not benefit from all of their hard work and experience? The only problem with outsourcing (or delegating as some people like to call it) is that it can be expensive to the point where many will not be able to afford it.

Tip #2: Universal Redundant Password Protection

For people that do not have the ability to outsource, the single most important thing you can do to keep your network secure is to password protect everything. Password protect logon procedures, password protect access to higher security information and protect anything else that you think might be an eventual target of a network breach. If you want to get really serious about security, redundant password protection might also be a good idea. This is where you password protect different aspects of a network such that they might end up overlapping for a person trying to retrieve a specific piece of information or perform a specific task. It might get annoying to have to go through two or three password prompts in a half an hour period, but it will also go a long way towards keeping your network secure.

Tip #3: Maintenance

Finally, the last thing you can do to really help yourself along is to regularly perform maintenance on the hardware components of your network. Whether you are using wireless or wired access to the internet, it is important that you not only keep your hardware in good working order, but upgrade components at regular intervals. With the speed at which technology becomes obsolete in today's world, threats against the security of your network are going to become more sophisticated as time rolls on. This makes it important to keep your network up to date. If you do not have the budget to upgrade it every few years or so, make sure you prioritize and then cyclically upgrade the components so that over every five or six year rolling period you've upgraded each part of the network at least once. It might seem expensive, but it will also help you with network security.