Security Breaches can be Costly for Businesses

Sensitive information leaked can equal a scandal for companies. Besides the obvious loss of customer trust, reputation, sales and lowered stock price, the non-compliance fines can spell real trouble for an unwitting business. Audit committees are voracious about protecting customer-related information and corporate sensitive data.

Companies are required to comply with data-privacy regulations, best practice requirements and industry guidelines regarding the usage and access to customer data. Privacy requirements for protecting non-public personal information include: selective encryption of stored data, separation of duties, proper access control and centralized independent audit functions.

Data security is not an option - it is mandatory according to government legislation and industry regulations. For example, the U.S. Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA) requires financial institutions and their partners to protect non-public personal data while in storage, while implementing a variety of access and security controls. Failure to comply with GLBA results in big regulatory fines for the financial institution. Equally damaging, the CEOs and directors can be held personally responsible and legally liable for any misuse of personally identifiable non-public information.

There are $4 million in losses quoted as the annual estimated loss from security breaches according to the Computer Security Institute (CSI) Computer Crime and Security Survey. Further it was revealed that over half of the databases have some kind of breach on a yearly basis. Being that these are only the security problems that companies are reporting, this percentage is staggeringly high. Organizations don't want to advertise the fact that their internal people have access to customer data and can cover up their tracks, take that data, give it to anybody, and stay undetected and employed while a crime is committed.

Download our document on How to Avoid Getting Ransomware. 

Common IT Mistakes Small Businesses Should Avoid

In the modern business world everyone depends on technology in the office, no matter how small your business is. As such, the decisions you make regarding the technology you depend on to do business are more important than you may think. Not being smart when it comes to your company’s IT situation can create pitfalls that prevent you from being as successful as you could be.

Knowing which IT missteps are commonly made by small businesses can help you avoid making these same blunders. Here are some of the most frequently made IT mistakes to avoid:

• Failing to Protect Your Data – Your company’s data is invaluable, so there is no excuse for not keeping that information safe and sound. Is your confidential data safeguarded against potential security breaches? Are you prepared for an emergency, such as theft, fire, flood, or server failure? Are your files and records backed up for disaster recovery purposes? Adequately protecting your data includes physical security (a firewall), network security (anti-virus/spyware), and backing up your information. In addition, regularly educate and update your employees about Internet and mobile security and safety.

• Not Changing with the Times – Technology is always changing, and businesses must keep up on the latest innovations and products to stay ahead of the competition. Keeping current with the latest technologies can help prevent your company from ending up with outdated, inefficient equipment and software.

• Choosing the Wrong IT Provider – The right IT provider doesn’t just sell you equipment; they manage that equipment, as well. They have the goals of your company in mind and proactively provide solutions to help you achieve those goals.

• Employing Unreasonable Password Requirements – Passwords are essential, but your password policy must be reasonable to be effective. While weak or non-existent passwords are unacceptable, making your requirements so strict that employees must resort to writing passwords on sticky notes undermines your policy.

• Leaving Everything in One Employee’s Hands – You might be impressed that a single person in your office knows all of your passwords and how everything works, but you could be setting yourself up for an enormous problem. What would you do if that employee decided to leave, or became incapacitated due to illness or injury? As the saying goes, don’t put all of your eggs in one basket.

Don’t fall into the same traps that many small businesses do when it comes to managing their IT. Avoid these common mistakes to help keep your company up and running as efficiently as possible. For more information about MOM's IT Services, visit our website at www.momnet.com/Managed-Network-Services.

Are You Protected Against Hackers?

With so much of our personal data out there thanks to ecommerce and social networking, it’s no wonder hackers and cyber criminals are able to help themselves to our information, which can have catastrophic results. Hacking can lead to such quagmires as identity theft, scams, theft, and file destruction. Is your personal and business data safe?

What can you do to protect your personal and company data against hackers and cyber crime?

Make it Strong – The first step to protect your data is having strong passwords. Use as many characters as possible, both capital and lowercase letters, and at least one number and one symbol. Leave out obvious details such as your name or date of birth. Avoid easy-to-answer security questions, ones to which the answer can be easily found online (your high school, pet’s name, favorite team, etc.). Also, don’t use the same password for all of your accounts. Having unique passwords will limit the potential damage if one of your accounts is compromised.

Back it Up – Regularly back up your files locally, making multiple copies of them to prevent against hard drive failure. This is especially important for your business, because lost business data usually adds up to lost time and money. So, make sure your backup system is fail-proof. Or, get even more backup protection by utilizing Managed IT Services, offered by many business solution providers, which will securely backup and store your data to protect against hackers and other disasters.

Secure Your Network Devices - An often overlooked area that’s vulnerable to hacking is your printing and imaging hardware. Threats aren’t just limited to outside attacks from cyberspace. People both inside and outside your organization can actually hack your devices and steal information from document images that are saved on the hard drives of your imaging devices. Your office equipment provider can help you take measures to secure these devices.

Browse Facebook Securely – Facebook accounts are frequent targets of hackers, so if you use Facebook, take advantage of the security measures provided to you. In your account settings enable ‘secure browsing’ to use an encrypted connection (https://) instead of a standard connection (http://).

Watch Where You Click – Never, ever click on a link in an e-mail from someone you don’t know. Phishing creates bogus e-mails attempting to lure you to a phony website and have you enter your username and password.

In the information age your personal data is out there; however, employing these methods will make it more difficult for hackers to get their hands on it.

How Secure is Your Data?

Your Confidential Data Could be at Risk

Think confidential information and documents are protected by your company’s IT security policies? Think again.

A recent survey by Harris Interactive revealed that 51 percent of survey respondents said they process confidential information through printers, copiers, and multi-function devices.

Additionally, 39 percent of employees who print, scan, or copy confidential information at work are concerned whether the information on their printing and imaging devices will remain secure.

These are valid concerns considering there is a very close link between the security of your business and your printing environments. Copiers, printers, fax machines, scanners, and multi-function devices pose a serious risk to your business’ overall security. These devices retain latent document images and text, leaving sensitive information and proprietary data extremely vulnerable to a security breach.

But, securing your print environment is easy with a Managed Print Services (MPS) Program that’s designed to assess all of your devices, provide a detailed security report, and develop a highly secure strategy for your future. Your customized plan can also include usage controls that ensure private information is only accessed by authorized users, and will also help you achieve regulatory compliance. Shrewd business owners know that security breaches damage your brand and can result in heavy fines, so this is protection that pays dividends in the long run. 

Here’s the bottom line:

An MPS solution will not only optimize your output fleet to cut costs and increase efficiency, but will also provide you with the peace of mind that your entire printing and imaging environment is safe and secure.

Contact us today, and you’ll understand why we place the highest priority on your company’s data and are committed to helping you protect your valuable information. 

To learn more about how MOM can help you with your managed print services needs, visit our website at http://www.momnet.com/Managed-Print-Services1 or click here try out our FREE PRINT SAVINGS CALCULATOR.

How to Keep Your Business Secure

by Shannon Suetos

Every business has secrets they do not want the competition to find out about. These secrets are guarded through different methods. In the modern age, one of the most obvious ways to protect your information is to protect your computer. You are likely to have firewall protection as well as protection against viruses and other security threats. While this will help to protect a lot of your information, it will not do the trick to protect all of your information. If you are looking at complete business security, you will also have to do something to protect the security of your copier.

Office copiers have evolved since they were first invented. They no longer copy the image directly to the next piece of paper. They perform functions like collating, sorting, front and back copies and serve as network printers as well. The standard copier used in an office does far more than just copy papers. As the copier does more, there is more need for some kind of data storage. This storage capability – while beneficial to you when printing and making copies – can create a significant security risk.

It is important to understand how digital copiers work so that you will understand how your information might be compromised. Modern copiers use hard drives so that information is stored while jobs are backed up or while multiple users send assignments to the copier to use it as a printer. The hard drive is designed to be temporary storage of information. The only problem is that the information is not always wiped clean from the hard drive. When large jobs are sent to the printer, they sit on the hard drive until a new job comes along to take up the hard drive space. This means that if someone looks at the hard drive later, they will discover your information.

Another thing to keep in mind is that the copiers used in most offices do not have any kind of firewall protection. They are susceptible to being hacked by anyone who wants to gain access to the hard drive. This is because your network is hooked up to the printer. This is done through the wires in your office, but they are accessible through the modem lines. Wireless copiers are especially vulnerable to attack.

Protecting your copier doesn’t end while it is in your office. Before replacing your copier, it is a good idea to either rewrite the entire hard drive or to destroy the hard drive. This is the only way you can be completely sure that the information stored on it will not be available to anyone else. This can either be through the company you bought it from or through third party industrial shredders. If you are unsure whether your copier has a hard drive, contact the manufacturer.

Shannon Suetos is an expert writer based in San Diego, California. She writes extensively for an online resource that provides expert advice on purchasing and outsourcing decisions for small business owners and entrepreneurs such as phone systems & VoIP service at Resource Nation.