3 Things You May Not Know About Network Security

Rick Delgado is a freelance writer who specializes in technology advancement and network forensics. He enjoys keeping up with the latest gadgets and anticipating the next breakthroughs.

As the physical world has moved digital, so have criminals. Before, it would have been difficult for a thief to steal important information from a company. They would have to break in to the office itself. Now however, everything is stored online and if a company isn’t careful that information could be easily accessible by outsiders.

Just as you would want to make sure your home has the best security system possible to protect the assets inside, companies need to make sure their online information is securely locked up. If you think that online attacks couldn’t possibly happen to your company, think again. Consider the following three aspects of network security that many people overlook.

1. It is cheaper to prevent cyber-attacks than wait to fix them

A study of U.S. companies revealed that out of the companies affected by cyber-attacks, most ended up paying close to $3.8 million a year to fix the problem. Those companies could have saved a lot of money if they had been a little more cautious.  It may seem like a big investment at first, but network security will pay off in the long run.

2. Loss of information due to theft accounts for the highest external cost for businesses

Businesses are always looking for ways to increase productivity in the workplace. They come up with fancy ideas like rewards programs, weekly interviews or even throwing office parties. While these all may be helpful, companies also need to consider how they can prevent situations that will drastically disrupt productivity.

Imagine what would happen if on a busy workday, the entire office was shut down. It could result in a loss of important clients, big sales, or a number of other things. If your company network is infiltrated with a virus your company could be out for several days.

In addition to loss of work time, reports have shown that information theft can add up to almost half of all external costs for many companies.  Disruption or loss of productivity as a result of fixing the problem is the next highest cost. If companies knew these statistics they would likely put a stronger effort into establishing an effective network security system.

3. Hackers also want to get into your computers at home

While every business should take necessary precautions to protect their information, don’t forget about your home computer as well. Just because you don’t have classified documents saved to your home network, it doesn’t mean no one wants access to it. Hackers or crackers will often look to take control of a home network so they can then launch attacks on other networks without being traced. Even though their final target may be a large corporation or a government agency, working through your network will give them the cover they want.

There are also people who simply want to cause trouble. If you don’t have strong security they could access and change information or even reformat your hard drive.

Image courtesy of Information Technology Group