Did You Leave The Back Door To Your Business Open? Remote Access And Network Security
- Date: 2007-11-08 - Word Count: 693
Share This!
In these days of frequent business travel, working from home, and outsourcing work to independent contractors, you probably have some sort of remote access to your business networks. If your network is not properly secured and you do not implement appropriate remote access controls, you could discover that you have left the back door to your business open and allowed the wrong people to walk in.
Remote network access can be a wonderful thing. No matter where you are, you can log onto your network and access all the information stored there. It gives a great sense of freedom to know that by installing some remote access software and having access to the internet, you can manage your business at any time from any place. Remote network access also gives you the freedom to provide telecommuters and independent contractors access to your business information, enabling them to work for you from a remote location. Doing this is probably both efficient and economical for your business.
Stop for a moment, and think about the number of people who have remote access to your network:
• Employees using laptops and other devices when traveling
• Employees using home computers
• People in branch offices or retail locations
• Sales representatives
• Telecommuting employees
• Independent contractors to whom you outsource work
• Suppliers or vendors
• Business partners
• Customers or clients
To be sure, you almost certainly grant some groups of people only limited access to your network or access to only certain data. But, let’s face it, you could be opening hundreds or even thousands of doors to your business.
Now consider that many of your most valuable company assets are probably stored on your network:
• Product information
• Legal and financial information
• Competitive analysis
• Customer profiles and sales history
• Research and development data
• Employee data
Inadequate remote access security can leave your business and the personal information of hundreds of individuals and companies at risk.
Every person who has remote access to your network has the ability to open the door to your business using some device. Whether that device is a home computer accessing your network through a phone line, cable or DSL, the device can be used to open a door. If you don’t know how secure the device and the connection are, you are essentially leaving that door to your business unlocked. Once you leave a door unlocked, you no longer have control of who walks in or of what they can see or take without adequate security.
Consider the possibilities:
• An employee’s child downloads a game to her home computer without realizing spyware has also been installed. When your employee downloads a file on your new product to that same home computer, your competitive advantage could be gone.
• You, the chief executive of your company, often work from home early in the morning. To save time, you tell your computer to “remember” your log-on and password. Your house is robbed and your home computer is stolen. The thief has full access to both your personal information and your business.
• The head of R&D for your company regularly takes a company laptop home in order to work on weekends. Without his knowledge, his son has downloaded a game, complete with a worm. When the head of R&D logs on to work, he introduces the worm and all those critical research files disappear.
How do you protect your business? You protect your business by closing and locking all of the doors. You establish policies and procedures about use of company equipment and about remote access to files. You build security for your network, and you build additional security for sensitive data. You restrict access by employees to certain websites from company equipment, and you prohibit placement of cookies and spyware on your system or your equipment. Then you layer the protection provided by your security system. Finally, you engage IT people to constantly monitor and update the security of your network.
The bottom line is this: Remote Access can open a back door to your network, putting your business at risk. You can, however, give people remote access to business data they need, and, at the same time, protect your business and your business data.
Copyright (c) 2007 Thomas Burns
Remote network access can be a wonderful thing. No matter where you are, you can log onto your network and access all the information stored there. It gives a great sense of freedom to know that by installing some remote access software and having access to the internet, you can manage your business at any time from any place. Remote network access also gives you the freedom to provide telecommuters and independent contractors access to your business information, enabling them to work for you from a remote location. Doing this is probably both efficient and economical for your business.
Stop for a moment, and think about the number of people who have remote access to your network:
• Employees using laptops and other devices when traveling
• Employees using home computers
• People in branch offices or retail locations
• Sales representatives
• Telecommuting employees
• Independent contractors to whom you outsource work
• Suppliers or vendors
• Business partners
• Customers or clients
To be sure, you almost certainly grant some groups of people only limited access to your network or access to only certain data. But, let’s face it, you could be opening hundreds or even thousands of doors to your business.
Now consider that many of your most valuable company assets are probably stored on your network:
• Product information
• Legal and financial information
• Competitive analysis
• Customer profiles and sales history
• Research and development data
• Employee data
Inadequate remote access security can leave your business and the personal information of hundreds of individuals and companies at risk.
Every person who has remote access to your network has the ability to open the door to your business using some device. Whether that device is a home computer accessing your network through a phone line, cable or DSL, the device can be used to open a door. If you don’t know how secure the device and the connection are, you are essentially leaving that door to your business unlocked. Once you leave a door unlocked, you no longer have control of who walks in or of what they can see or take without adequate security.
Consider the possibilities:
• An employee’s child downloads a game to her home computer without realizing spyware has also been installed. When your employee downloads a file on your new product to that same home computer, your competitive advantage could be gone.
• You, the chief executive of your company, often work from home early in the morning. To save time, you tell your computer to “remember” your log-on and password. Your house is robbed and your home computer is stolen. The thief has full access to both your personal information and your business.
• The head of R&D for your company regularly takes a company laptop home in order to work on weekends. Without his knowledge, his son has downloaded a game, complete with a worm. When the head of R&D logs on to work, he introduces the worm and all those critical research files disappear.
How do you protect your business? You protect your business by closing and locking all of the doors. You establish policies and procedures about use of company equipment and about remote access to files. You build security for your network, and you build additional security for sensitive data. You restrict access by employees to certain websites from company equipment, and you prohibit placement of cookies and spyware on your system or your equipment. Then you layer the protection provided by your security system. Finally, you engage IT people to constantly monitor and update the security of your network.
The bottom line is this: Remote Access can open a back door to your network, putting your business at risk. You can, however, give people remote access to business data they need, and, at the same time, protect your business and your business data.
Copyright (c) 2007 Thomas Burns
Related Tags: network security, remote access
Thomas Burns, founder and CEO of Intelligent Networks Services (INS) has been an industry expert in computer network and technology for over 20 years. Under his careful supervision, INS has become a leading, full service IT support company servicing small to mid-sized businesses in Silicon Valley. INS’s goal is to save their client’s money by focusing on preventative maintenance and intelligent network designs. For more information go to: www.intelligentns.com/subscribe and receive your complimentary network evaluation. Your Article Search Directory : Find in Articles
Recent articles in this category:
- Fix Printer, Keyboard, Speaker and Monitor Cables With Funky Organizers
There are different types of cables that are used when you have a desktop computer at home. Most of - The Growing Trend of Asterisk Phone Systems
Truly, businesses are doing everything they can in the economy and competitive world of today to rem - The Future of Business Intelligence: Innovations in Location Intelligence
In the coming years, many business analysts are predicting that Business Intelligence (BI) will play - Adobe Photoshop Album Starter Edition and What Happened to the Unlock Codes
Adobe has long been known as a star in the digital image editing world and the Adobe Photoshop Album - Choosing the Best Computer For Graphic Design
In the 1980s, desktop publishing came out and graphic designers began to utilize computers for all k - Versatility of Pocket HD Camcorders
In the era of the do-everything handheld gadget, high def camcorders family seems almost passee. The - Contemporary Office Furniture
When considering Contemporary Office Furniture there are a few things that you really should conside - Professional Web Design, Professional Web Designer
There is a lot to consider if you are looking for a Professional Web Design. So let's get to it. Fir - Cell Phone Protection and Safety For Kids
If your like the millions of parents giving your children a cell phone for safety when their away fr - Looking For That Smart Pc Workstation And Desk
Do you need a work area at home. Maybe it is just for doing bills. It may be for a community work ar
Most viewed articles in this category:
- Voip Residential Comparison Guide: Evaluating Packet8, Lingo, And Vonage
Voice over internet protocol [internet telephony] is a rapidly growing technological alternative to - What's The Difference In The Ionic Breeze Quadra?
The Ionic Breeze Quadra is the newer line of ionic breeze units offered by The Sharper Image. These - Selling World of Warcraft Accounts
Everybody knows that WoW is one of the most exciting MMORPGs ever created. This makes selling WoW ac - Film Cameras
Film cameras are simple cameras, which could be used by all easily. People prefer to use film camera - Salesboom SLA-MS Competition
Oh, the irony. Online CRM Services shy away from offering customers a Service Level Agreement. Why t - How To Improve Your Computer Speed Almost Instantly
Probably your computer, even though you bought it last year its no longer that much fast. Like any o - The Mosquito Ringtone - The Tone Adults Can't Hear
Without a doubt, the mosquito ringtone is one of the most popular ringtones ever. Good luck trying - Auto Navigation Systems And Gps Technology While Traveling
If you have managed to do any research on auto navigation systems I'm sure you've come across countl - Do Cheap iPods Really Exist?
If you know anything about music trends, you know that iPods are the hottest portable music device t - Online Mobile Phone Offers: Take 10 Minutes To Save £360 On Your Next Mobile Phone Contract
Cash Is Falling Out Of Your Pocket If you live in the UK, you're probably paying line rental on a m