SECURITY MANAGEMENT

To protect an organisation's IT infrastructure and information, security management procedures should adopted. At a minimum an organisation should adopt the recommendations below.

Firewall

Use a firewall. A firewall acts as a barrier between the public internet and the organisations network. It helps to protect the servers and PC's on the network from hackers and viruses.

Anti-Virus Software

Install up-to-date anti-virus software on all servers and PC's on the network and all mobile devices such as laptops, tablets and smart phones. Anti-virus software is one of the main defences against online problems. It continually scans for viruses, including Trojans and worms.

Security Patches

Install the latest security patches for the applications and operating systems utilised by the organisation.  As new threats emerge, regularly download the available security updates to ensure maximum protection.

Spyware

Implement measures and install software to stop spyware. Spyware is a threat to privacy and the information it can harvest from a computer can lead to financial fraud.

Business Continuity

Implement a disaster recovery plan to ensure that your organisation can recover from a business continuity event such as fire or floods. As part of this ensure that regular backups are made of organisation critical information. Backups are the last line of defence against hardware failure, or the damage caused by a security breach, or accidental deletion of data.

Wireless Networks

Wireless networks should be implemented in a secure fashion. Without suitable protection, such as a firewall and encryption, Wi-Fi (wireless) networks are vulnerable to eavesdropping, hackers and freeloaders.

Spam Email

Implement measures to stop spam email. It is extremely inefficient tfor an organisation's staff to have to spend time dealing with unwanted spam email.  Spam email clogs up inboxes and may contain viruses and spyware.

Internet

Browsing the internet can be dangerous. Malicious websites contain viruses and spyware and criminals create fake sites to steal personal information. Many websites also contain content that it would be inappropriate for an organisation's staff to come in to contact with. Organisations implement systems to protext themselves from these dangers.