The Business Bulletin
The basics of IT security Let’s start off with an uncomfortable truth. The bottom line is that your IT systems are vulnerable. As you’ll have seen in the press, even with access to the best technology and talent, high-profile businesses, financial institutions, and governments are not immune to the possibility of an IT breach.
For an SME or sole trader without
carry your wallet where it can be easily
1. Get a good virus checker and
access to those high-level defences,
accessed in high traffic tourist areas,
keep it up-to-date. I can’t stress that
not only is a breach possible, it’s
you’re far more likely to get robbed.
last bit enough. An out of date virus
likely to be a relatively easy task for
However, if you visit the same area
checker is a hole in your security.
a skilled operator. The sad truth is
and take a few sensible precautions to
Virus checkers work for the most
that there is probably no way to stop
keep your wallet safe, you’re no longer
part by recognising the code that
a determined expert from getting
an easy target and therefore much
makes up the invading software.
access to your system.
less likely to encounter a problem. A
The development of new malicious
few small concessions to security and
software is a constant process and
you’re safer.
just needs a small change to the
Now the reality check. Before you permanently disconnect from the internet it’s worth remembering that
It’s the same with your IT. A few
most of us are of little interest to a
simple precautions and habits will
malicious hacker. The amount of work
go a long way to stop you being
required to get into our systems is
vulnerable. Here are 10 things to get
probably more effort than the return
you started. These are in no particular
is worth. In truth, most security issues
order of importance and you need
on small business IT systems happen
to have a comprehensive approach
because we accidentally created
to your security. Trust me, the people
an easy opportunity. Think of it like
who want access to your system are
encountering a pickpocket. If you
looking for any way in they can find.
code in something like a trojan virus (a nasty little bit of code that hides, like a Trojan horse, inside other code) and it will slip through your checker. All good security programmes come with regular updates, so you just need to get into the habit of updating or setting them to automatically update themselves at regular intervals. 2. Speaking of keeping up-to-date, do the same with your operating system and key software packages. Yes,
Your social media trail can seem innocent enough but think about what you’re posting
sometimes it can be a bit of a pain in the neck waiting for your system to update, but most of these revisions contain security features. Updates on operating systems are common and most of the time they are minor tweaks to the way the system works to increase stability and, as we already said, update the security. 3. Do your backups! And then for really key data, do them again. If you have a cloud-based back-up process
8 | Issue 3 – Operations and Resources
