Top Security Tips for Business Computers

Author: Mark Kornegay

October 2008

Information technology workers hold a special position of power.  As trusted soldiers in the fight for network and resource security, they are charged with keeping business and employee data safe.  Success, however, is dependent on enlisting the help of all employees in an organization. So how do you keep data that relates to employees, customers and business plans safe from interception or corruption?  By developing policies and systems that ensure the data on your businesses servers and laptops remains secure. The adoption of several simple security measures can go a long way in protecting your data.

Head them off at the pass
Use passwords to protect individual files, e-mail and other data.  Too often employees are careless with the way they select and remember passwords.  They’ll use a child’s name, an address or similar references others easily can guess.  Staff members often write more complex passwords on a sticky note and attach them to their computers or place them under their keyboards for reference.  This is like leaving a key in the lock of your front door or slipping it under the welcome mat—easy invitations to thieves.
Rather than employing passwords, suggest employees use pass “phrases.”  Encourage employees to create a sentence or phrase that contains spaces between words, punctuation, and/or other characters to make it very difficult to guess.  A pass phrase such as, “My favorite team?  It’s the Mariners,” is simple to remember and contains only 30 characters.  

Download to Update
Never ignore alerts from Microsoft or other trusted sources that prompt you to download patches or upgrades.  These combat the latest threats to your network and individual computers.  Alerts may direct employees to a Microsoft site with a list of security updates that your computer or network should download for automatic installation.  Often, the most urgent ones download first; and if they require a computer reboot, the remaining updates will install after the system is restarted.  Coaching employees through this approach will save valuable time for any IT professional.

Hardening with firewalls
A hardware-based firewall is recommended, as it runs a software program to guard your technology against intruders from the outside.  This type of firewall with a threat-management system is stronger than one generated by your desktop, because it does a better job of restricting access to computer ports by potential intruders.  It should be managed by a qualified technology worker or consultant, such as a Microsoft Small Business Specialist, who knows how to set it up properly.

Back it up
Even if your office never experiences a fire, the guy upstairs may have one; and when the fire department starts hosing it down, your computers and software are exposed to water damage.  
Businesses should consider backing up data to one of the several online storage sites that are available.  Some companies back up their more important business applications, along with accounting data, online and keep less-essential data in an offsite location.  Online sites offer security through hosted servers, far from your own potentially vulnerable office.

An all-in-one security package
Microsoft offers a package of software functions designed to keep computers secure, called Microsoft Windows Live™ OneCare™.  With many licensing options, this becomes a practical solution for businesses and IT departments of all sizes.  This solution contains a firewall, antivirus and antispyware protection, automatic backup and restoration of data, disk optimization and printer sharing, all operating quietly in the background while you work.  If an issue emerges, an icon in the system tray changes color to alert users, and a couple clicks usually resolve any problems.  This can lessen the worry about losing all the files on an employees’ desktop computer most notably when the files also are backed up by OneCare.
By taking a few simple steps, you can stand guard and be sure that you are unleashing the full power of the security built into your computer systems.

About the author: Mark Kornegay is the Central Region Manager for Managed Partners in Microsoft’s Small and Mid-market Solutions and Partners (SMS&P) group.  For more information, please visit www.microsoft.com/midsizebusiness.