Small Business Networks: 5 scariest things to worry about

While spam, pop-ups, negligent employees, and cybercriminals are a real threat to any small business network, there are 5 security measures that you should be focusing on FIRST before you do anything else…

1. Email Attachments

Viruses and worms are malicious programs that are spread primarily through cleverly disguised attachments to messages that trick you (or your employees) into opening them. Make sure you train your employees to process attachments with caution, never open attachments from the unknown sources. While malware cannot damage your computer hardware, malicious software like viruses are pieces of code designed to spread to or corrupt computer files and other computers, delete files, and cause other problems with the data on the network.

2. SPAM

Phishing e-mails that trick the user by appearing to be legitimate e-mails from your bank, credit card, Facebook, Google, e-Bay, or other password-protected entity. The cybercriminals are getting very smart and begin making their emails look like legitimate, authorized correspondence. Always look at the email address listed for the sender. Although not foolproof, this may tip you off to an illegitimate email.

3. Downloads

Did you know that most computers and networks get infected with viruses because the user actually invited the threat in by downloading a file (screen saver, music file, PDF, images, etc.) Some images files, such as JPEG may actually be executable virus files in disguise.

You must be continuously seeking latest information and training your employees on what they can and cannot do while using your computer network. We also recommend installing monitoring software that will prevent employees from downloading unsavory items to your organization’s computer network. Installing and maintaining an enterprise-level firewall, which will block Internet traffic to and from dangerous sites.

4. Lack of Proper Backup

You are more likely to lose data from hardware failure, accidental deletion (human error), flood, fire, natural disaster or software corruption than a hacker. Sure, you should do everything to keep hackers out of your network, but not backing up your data to a remote location is crazy. Backup methods of the past –  tape, disk, and NAS device backups are no longer sufficient,  while your business data is getting more vulnerable to internal and external dangers. At a minimum, you should have an onsite AND offsite copy of your data, and you should be testing your data backups regularly to make sure your data CAN be restored in the event of an emergency.

5. Weak Credentials

Many network devices and software applications include default passwords. Many users forget or ignore the requirement to change default passwords, or use very common passwords, which can be easily found published on the Internet. Make sure you’re changing all default passwords, otherwise, hackers can gain access to your network.  Many usernames, emails, and password end up on the Dark Web, and even an amateur hacker can get into your system or even your network easier than you think. It is very important to use strong passwords and update them regularly.

What You Don’t Know CAN Hurt You

Since we are on the subject of protecting your network, can I talk straight? 99% of the business owners I work with wait FAR too long to have us check and update their computer network’s health and security. Because they are not performing regular maintenance, almost every single network we review is completely overlooking these 5 security risks! And we have remedied every one of them for those businesses that had signed up for our Managed Services! 

Call us (201) 4931414 x 311 or submit Request for a Consultation today.

At some point, disaster will strike and they find themselves in a real mess with a network that is completely down (that’s when they call us in a panic). By then, the damage is done and it often costs thousands of dollars to restore their network back to normal. Even then it’s not uncommon for them to permanently lose irreplaceable accounting, client, and business data – not to mention hours of downtime.

But the most sobering truth here is the fact that almost every one of these costly disasters could have easily been prevented if someone had checked their network’s security and health to remove these threats on a regular basis. Which brings us to the reason we are telling you today…

No More Excuses! Our Network Health Check Will “Exorcise” The Demons Hiding In Your Computer Network. We Will Come To Your Office And…

• Check your firewall, anti-virus, and security settings, as well as scan for spyware and hidden viruses.
• Check your backup to see if it’s working properly and accurately.
• Verify that you have the most up-to-date security patches installed properly; miss one critical update and you’re a “sitting duck.”
• Diagnose slow, unstable PCs.
• Perform a quick network “tune-up” to make programs and files load faster.

Why Should You Care About This?

Because your computer network is the core of running your business. Try to imagine what it would be like if you walked into your office one day to discover all of your data was lost or corrupt. That’s why this check-up and regular maintenance is so important.

REMEMBER: Keeping your network safe is a moving target; the security updates you installed today may be rendered useless tomorrow because new threats are emerging daily.

There are numerous system checks and updates that should be done on a daily basis to ensure maximum speed, performance, and security. Ignore them and your system will get progressively slower, unstable, and susceptible to viruses, spyware, and hackers.

Do you need a professional Data Backup and Disaster Recovery Services?

We can help you every step of the way to make sure your data is secure, and your business continuity is protected.

Call us (201) 4931414 x 311 or submit Request for a Consultation today.

 Should you decide to hire us to do the repair (you’re under no obligation), we’ll get to work on it immediately.  If we find out everything is safe and secure, you’ll breathe a big sigh of relief knowing the true state of your network’s health and security — and then we’ll show you the fastest and easiest way to make sure it stays that way.

Intelligent Business Continuity services from powersolution.com can reduce the total costs of your IT problems and the resulting downtime. Our local Computer Support and IT experts can provide remote support and on-site visits, offering Data Backup and Disaster Recovery services in local areas:

New Jersey and New York Area BC/BDR Services: primarily Bergen County Computer Services, Passaic County, Hudson County, Essex, Morris, Sussex, Warren, Hunterdon, Somerset, Middlesex counties. Servicing clients in Midland Park, Ho-Ho-Kus, offering Ridgewood IT support & Computer Service, Glen Rock, Paramus, Hawthorne, Wyckoff, Hackensack, Ramsey, Wayne, Mahwah IT Support & Computer Services, Englewood, Fort Lee and other towns in the area.