The fast uptake of high-speed broadband services in this country has put network and desktop security at the forefront of Australian CIO’s minds.
IT security is definitely becoming a major issue as organisations often deploy up to tens of megabits worth of bandwidth at their offices, increasing the need to have the right measures in place to protect their networks.
Changes in legislation over recent years also mean that company managers can be held legally liable for serious mishaps in security.
The Cybercrime Act, introduced in 2001, put the onus on the owner of computer equipment to ensure that they are not involved in cybercrime or even inadvertently hosting a spam engine. This has prompted them to undertake the correct due diligence to ensure their businesses are secure.
Generally, it’s a case of the better or faster your network, the bigger the risk. These days, the tools criminals use for hacking get published on Internet sites and passed around using peer-to-peer software, giving rise to a new breed of so-called “script kiddies” that can become savvy with these tools.
At Telarus, new customers often come to us requesting that we assist them to secure their network after it has been compromised at an enormous cost to their organisation, both financially and in terms of less direct costs such as reputation and goodwill.
Frequently, these attacks occur because key decision makers aren’t aware that they haven’t taken appropriate security measures within their corporate networks.
Many companies will go out and buy a market-leading firewall - possibly even do a reasonable job of configuring it - but neglect to monitor it or to install regular software and/or firmware updates to maintain its effectiveness.
In addition, there’s a need to consider any new equipment or technology that is introduced into the network. For example, Voice-over-IP technology, which is becoming increasingly popular, brings with it a new set of threats.
This is where having a managed security service in place can ensure you are constantly up-to-date with the latest protection but we will talk about that later in the newsletter.
Enjoy!
Jules Rumsey
Managing director
Telarus