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SMALL BUSINESS COMPUTER SECURITY BECOMING MORE VITAL

Posted on July 3, 2006

      One of the greatest miscalculations a business owner can commit is by not prioritizing how he will protect his computer system from unauthorized intrusions and data theft.

      There is a common belief among business owners, especially those that do not operate a big business, that their small size makes them safe from the malicious intent of computer phreakers and data thieves. They think that in a sea full of big fishes a small fish will be ignored, secure in the fact they are not worth the exertion and computer time for notorious data thieves.

      Nothing can be farther from the truth. In fact, smaller businesses are far more vulnerable to internet security threats and all manner of data theft and electronic sabotage. Based on a study made by research firm AMI-Partners, almost half of all small and medium sized businesses have failed to implement even the most rudimentary security precautions - which includes the installation of antivirus and anti spyware programs. This oversight could be the main reason why when the Mydoom worm hit a few years back, one in three small and medium sized businesses were affected compared to just one in six among the larger companies were affected. This was discovered by the Internet Security Alliance, a non profit organization that deals with information security issues.

      In fact, now more than ever data and network protection should be given more attention because of the ever evolving sophistication of data thieves. They are now more equipped with the software and hardware necessary to break into security measures instituted by data managers. What could the chance be for a company to weather an attack if the owner forgets or ignores putting in place data security and encryption policies for his business because he thinks it will just be an additional cost? Practically zero and the untold cost to his business would be far more greater.

      It is for this reason that data security and encryption should be one of the priorities of a business. Anyone is vulnerable to an attack whether that business is an international conglomerate or a new start up. In fact, a big business will have more chance to recover compared to a small business because a big company will have the ready funds available to rebuild the business. A small business, on the other hand, will not have the necessary funding to start the business all over again - making an attack quite catastrophic.

      These facts are not lost on many software providers who are now coming up with many types of solutions that guarantee the safety of data in an office's network. There is also software that brings security to a higher level by incorporating encryption technology in order to safeguard not only sensitive data but also to make it harder for hackers to get into networks or intercept data being transmitted from the corporate network to devices outside of the network.

      Encryption technology can, in fact, be seen as one of the highest levels of protection that a business can employ in order to ensure the integrity of its data and its computer network.

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