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Information Protection
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18 Ways for Defeating Computer Hackers |
Information Asset Protection and Security
Your information assets are your most valuable and probably your most vulnerable business assets. Most individuals and businesses usually setup a firewall, an antivirus application, invoke some easily derived passwords, and occasionally install some sort of antispyware software. All these are very good things to do...if they are done correctly! But in most cases the setup is haphazard and actually leads to an increase in vulnerability to attacks on their information.
But, you say, "it's too expensive for me as an individual (or small business) to install the software that large corporations do. Besides, I do not have the technical knowledge and skill to install complicated software."
But it does not need to be expensive to obtain good information asset protection software nor is it too difficult to install it. Some basic knowledge of computers such as being able to download software from the online vendor and to follow the simple installation instructions is all that is necessary.
And if you want to be, and remain, success in business, especially an online business, you do need to take some simple precautions to protecting your business information and, in particular, all client information.
Below is the introduction to my ebook. After reading it, you can go the Buy Stuff page where you can purchase it for $19.95 (a very low price for the information it contains).
Introduction: We're All At Risk!
Your computer, software, databases, files, applications, systems software, and computer networks are all part of your information technology (IT) assets. You and your company, similar to most other public and private organizations, are extremely dependent upon IT and would find it impractical, if not almost impossible, to function without it. Any temporary or extended loss to any portion of these IT assets could have tremendous impact on your company's financial and economic stability and to your own security.
Risk management is a method of identifying potential disasters that may cause temporary or extended loss to one or more of your information systems, and of developing and implementing cost-effective countermeasures to cope with these disasters. Components of risk management include:
- Passwords
- Virus protection
- Firewalls
- Encryption
- Hiding Files
- Spyware protection
- File Wipers
- File Recovery
- Anonymous web proxies
- Spam control
- Identity theft
- Phishing protection
- Business continuity or resumption planning
Most of you probably use passwords, virus protection and firewalls, though not necessarily well. Few of you use encryption or anonymous web proxies, though these easy-to-use techniques are important to ensure privacy of your information. These techniques are used to reduce the possibility of a problem. But business continuity planning will permit you to recover your IT assets quickly and relatively painlessly (though not totally without pain). And probably less than 5% of you have prepared a business continuity plan.
A business continuity plan is an attempt to reduce the effects of a disaster by providing smooth, rapid restoration of your company's critical operations until the loss of information technology can be recovered or restored. It is difficult to quantify the total impact of any single information system loss. A few days without your computers and network might have only minimal effect or it could cost millions. IT loss over an extended period, however, could conceivably cause such damage to your company that it would have great difficulty returning to its normal operation. A business continuity plan will reduce this possibility.
No business continuity plan will replace a normal operating environment. The plan's primary purpose is to counter any disaster that might cause a temporary, but extended, loss of your information systems. The plan should not be restricted to any single disaster; it should be designed to adapt to almost any situation, and the expense should be commensurate with the risk and magnitude of loss. An effective business continuity plan is a dynamic and evolving document.
Unlike large organizations and governments, you probably do not have either the skills and knowledge or the money to hire experts to develop an all-encompassing and expensive business continuity plan.
You do not need much money to plan for disasters. But you do need to take some simple, inexpensive steps - things that you can do, first, to prevent most problems from occurring and second, to prepare and be able to resume your business operations while ensuring that business continues, if not normally, then as close to normal as possible. At least, you will be comfortable that you will not go out of business due to a disaster.
If you do not plan for disasters, then you could soon be out of business. It is believed within the disaster recovery industry that 95% of those businesses (micro, small, medium and large) that do not have a business continuity plan in place when a major disaster, such as 9/11, strikes will quickly be out of business.
If you are interested in purchasing this ebook for the low price of $19.95, then go to the Buy Stuff page. There you will find more information about this ebook and other products that are available.