Protect Data and Keep Your Business Assets Safe by Dennis Thomsen

Data security breaches can cost businesses millions of dollars in resources and lost revenue. This article will provide you with information about how you can protect data and keep your business assets safe. Whether you're a business owner, an executive, or an IT manager, the following information will be beneficial to you.

How important is it to protect data in your business network? How does your business value data protection? Well, here's a number: $6.65 million. That's the average total per-incident cost of a data security breach, according to the "U.S. Cost of Data Breach Study" conducted by data protection company, PGP Corporation, and information management research firm, The Ponemon Institute.

Can your business afford to lose $6.65 million? The loss of that revenue, along with the resources and productivity associated with an attack may just be enough to put your company in the red and in today's economy, not many businesses can suffer much more in terms of loss.

What kinds of data security breaches are we talking about here? Well, over a five-year period, Kroll Inc., a risk consulting operating unit of Marsh & McLennan Companies Inc., found that data security breaches stem from the following sources: - Lost, missing or stolen laptops - 22.4% - Hackers - 20.8% - Internet - 15.3% - Disposal of documents on computers - 4.8% - Email - 1.8%

By protecting your business data, you prevent cyber attacks and keep your entire network safe with 24/7 virtual security giving you informed, step-by-step advice on how to solve each issue the system detects by protecting your business network.

Protect Data: Software Detects & Solves Problems. Protect data with software that detects problems when they happen no matter the day or the time. It provides you with informative, step-by-step advice on how to solve each security issue the system detects.

Protect Data: Software Helps You Leverage Investments in Security. By monitoring all your computers around the clock - even laptops not connected to your local network - data protection software alerts you and provides a recommended solution the minute any part of your security system stops doing its job. This helps you boost security levels by leveraging your existing investments in IT security.

Protect Data: Software Frees Up Time for IT Staff. Protect data with software that consolidates threat-detection, security monitoring and advanced reporting to a single browser-based interface, dramatically reducing your IT administration burden and freeing up time for other tasks. This puts problem-solving security expertise in your office around the clock.

Protect Data: Software Secures Your Laptop Computers Outside the Office. Protect data with software that keeps monitoring your company's laptops even when they're out of the office and not connected to your network. At home, at a customer's office or even on vacation, they're on top of your computer's security - and the integrity of your network once a laptop that's been offline logs on again - as long as the laptop is connected to the internet.

Protect Data: Software Generates Security Reports on Demand. Protect data with software that generates expert IT security reports on demand - satisfying your board, auditors and regulatory bodies with no need to hire expensive outside consultants.

Data Protection solutions keep data safe and secure, protect information assets, avoid data breaches and ensure regulatory compliance with the following agents:

Unapproved Software: Ensures that all software applications installed on your network computers are approved by your company's security policy.

Suspicious Traffic: Detects abnormal traffic on your network that could indicate an attempt to access or manipulate data.

Malware Protection: Protects your network with antivirus and other computer software; ensures installation, updates and proper function on all computers.

Updates & Patches: Assures all critical security updates and patches are installed, with Microsoft's minimum protection.

Security Practices: Ensures all your computers are configured and used in accordance with best practices for IT security.

A Price On His Head - Anti-virus by stickystebee

The computer worm that has stormed the internet and infected many millions of computers has upset Microsoft so much that they are offering a reward of $250,000 for the head of its creator. The worm is variously known as Conflicker, Kido Downup and Downadup. It works by exploiting vulnerability in Microsoft's operating systems. The worm has a number of variants and is continually evolving. If it gets onto your system it will do many nasty things including opening a door to a load of additional malware which will steal your personal data and take over your computer.

It is no wonder that Microsoft is alarmed. This worm threatens lives. It has infected computer systems in schools, military forces and hospitals.

So who are the hackers who create these viruses and worms? Perhaps they are evil villains holding the world to ransom, maybe they are terrorists, then again perhaps they are just computer geeks who have just got a bit carried away, sort of the misunderstood innocent folk hero version. Whoever they are, cybercrime is the fastest growing crime of all and has cost industry, commerce and the public purse billions of dollars.

The nature of cybercrime has evolved considerably since the first computer virus Conflicker was launched on ARPANET. At first it was primarily simple delinquent activity, naughty but not malicious. The motivations were mainly fame, glory and peer group admiration. Some nasty worms were released, denial of service attacks were carried out on organisations such as Microsoft, and a graffiti and slogans were pasted on websites but little real harm was done. Nowadays it has become serious, and as we have said huge sums of money and even peoples lives are involved.

Cybercrime threatens you. Your security, finances and even your identity can be stolen by nothing more than a few pages of computer code that has, without your knowledge, downloaded itself onto your computer. Do yourself a favour. Make sure that your antivirus software is up to date and scan your system. Do it now, before it is too late.