NetAssure - NetAssure.com.au

For any business the security of its computer network is critical. This has always been the case, but as the world moves more relentlessly into financial crisis, business operators needs to ensure that every dollar spent is strictly necessary. Having to recover from a catastrophic security incident is something that could prove the downfall of many firms in the current climate.

The electronic threats to a business vary from the annoying (spam) to the malicious (viruses) to the outright criminal (theft of data). Sometimes these menaces originate from completely outside the organization. More often, they are the result of employee behavior and occur from visiting corrupted websites or opening hoax email attachments.

The costs of these attacks obviously vary and are sometimes hard to calculate. Is it a case of lost time? The loss of confidential data? The loss of customer goodwill? What can be shown is that in financial terms the effects of a compromised network can be devastating. The AusCERT Australian Computer Crime and Security Survey (2006) listed theft of proprietary information as the single greatest source of security-related loss for Australian corporations, with an average cost being greater than $2 million.

The NetAssure managed network service can help secure your network from threats and keep your business productive. Much more than a simple anti-virus program, NetAssure creates an encrypted network, offering a certified level of enterprise level security. This is especially important if a business requires the sharing of data over the Internet between multiple sites. The automatic detection and elimination of intrusions and worms offers an immediate solution to these sort of attacks. Better still, NetAssure can instantly identify a compromised computer and quarantine it, leaving the rest of the network to continue on with business.

Spam and virus removal is also an option with NetAssure. The email sanitisation functions remove unwanted messages before they start clogging the inboxes of your staff, providing protection against threats and an increase in productivity.

Additionally, the control functions of NetAssure mean that employee Internet usage can be restricted and monitored. Threatening and suspect sites can be easily and automatically blocked through a continually-updated list. This closes the biggest loophole in data security: employee behavior. Even when employees make innocent mistakes, NetAssure provides a safeguard.

There is no substitute for establishing a robust awareness of computer security within an organization. Employees need to be aware of the risks of compromising data, both electronically, in hard copy and through word of mouth. However, as part of this overall strategy in defending against unnecessary loss and expense, NetAssure is one very worthwhile tool that can help a company seal the leaks in its information environment.