Minimizing the risk to company data from malicious attacks and threats is currently the hot topic in the IT industry and one Net Technical Solutions takes very seriously.

On a weekly basis we see or hear of companies being attacked by malware such as viruses, Trojans, rootkits, spyware, and more devastatingly, ransomware which currently poses the greatest risk and cost to business. And whilst it is impossible to remain 100% protected from these ever evolving, sophisticated threats, we strive to ensure that our customers keep on top of the game by helping them to put in place robust, reliable software solutions and recommending the adoption of best business practices.

There are three key areas that we can support:

Prevention: Ensuring spam filtering, password policy, anti-virus, firewall, up-to-date server/PC hardware, etc. are all in place.

Limiting impact: Measures to ensure that threats are contained such as limiting file/folder access permissions, snapshot-based backups, etc.

Recovery: In the event of an attack, ensuring that there are processes in place to recover quickly and restore any lost or encrypted data.

Prevention through the installation of reliable, up-to-date systems is vitally important and the good news is that just as malware grows in sophistication, so do the hardware and software technologies for helping to thwart their threats and attacks. We can advise you on the best hardware and software combinations to suit the needs of your business that help monitor networks and detect attacks including resources for helping to manage malware risks in real time.

We have built up strong partnerships with excellent suppliers and our most popular products include Fortinet and Zyxel for firewalls (block unauthorized access to or from the networks); VIPRE and Malwarebytes for anti-virus (safeguard a computer from malware) and Mail Cleaner and Mimecast for filtering solution software (screen content to prevent access to items which may be harmful if opened or accessed).

However, probably the biggest vulnerability most companies face is from accidental breaches caused by lack of awareness amongst staff. So we advise all our customers to ensure that their staff follow our best practice guidelines which include the following:

• Ensuring that they have secure domain log-in passwords (refer to our lead article on how to make them safe.)
• Not opening any attachments from sources unknown to them, or any strange looking attachments from sources they know. (If in doubt it is best to check with the source as to whether the attachment in genuine or contact our support team for advice.)
• Not clicking on any suspicious links in emails, or links from other websites. Also, ensuring that any links or sites are 100% genuine before browsing (again, if unsure please contact our support team for advice.)
• If staff are accessing personal email accounts such as Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail etc. from inside the office, either via POP3 in Outlook or via a web based browser, then the same rules should apply as above - your business network can become infected via this source.

Malware threats are costly for businesses both in terms of time and money, so if you have any concerns regarding the security of your network, please contact your Account Manager today and let us help you to minimise your risk.