Data Protection and Security

You receive an e-mail from your bank informing you that there has been a glitch in the Banks internal system causing your Personal Identification Number (PIN) to be wiped out. In order to correct the problem you are asked to click on a link that will allow you to set a new PIN. Everything seems to be in order and the link takes you to a page that resembles your normal bank website. You enter a new PIN and go back to checking your e-mail, assuming that you have just done a good thing. What you may not know is that you have just been a victim of “Phishing” fraud.

A recent Journal of Accountancy article states that about 5% of the people who get similar e-mails fall for the scam, and give away personal information. “Phishing is the latest crime of the 21st century.”  (Phight Phraud, Journal of Accountancy, February 2006) According to a News.com article—dated January 25, 2006—regarding Data Protection and Security, “ID theft topped the list of fraud complaints in 2005. Consumers filed more than a quarter-million identity theft reports to the FTC in 2005, accounting for more than a third of all complaints. In all, Internet-related complaints accounted for 46 percent of all fraud reports, the agency said. Internet fraud that involves wire transfers is on the rise; the percentage of such incidents has tripled since 2003.” Article

This is only part of the problem that both individuals and companies face in today’s IT driven world. In the event that a small business owner is the victim of identity theft, the business becomes vulnerable to the culprit. If the thief gains access to the business’ internal information they can create major problems ranging from corrupted files and tampering with client particulars, to stealing the customers personal and/or credit card information. Now, if the proper precautions are taken from the start to protect the business’ internal information, thieves will likely look at the next victim to target instead of said company. Such protection can be implemented in a basic sense, by having a secure network in place and by having data backup mediums.  Call SWK Technologies, Inc. today to find out how to secure your network.

Instead of saving all information to a single machine or group of machines, it is wise to backup all data to some kind of external source—be it DVDs, CDs, Tapes or Hard Drives. According to PCMag.com, “Too many small businesses neglect data backup. Yes, backing up data is inconvenient, and it costs money, with no apparent return on investment; but when disaster strikes, backup systems prove their worth. You've got plenty of options. If you have moderate backup needs and don't run a database or e-mail server, consider DVD for backup. DVDs are portable, so you can take copies off-site for security. Most DVD burners ship with basic backup software. Another option is backing up to network-attached storage (NAS) appliances. These devices include single or multiple hard drives controlled by a dedicated Operating System and attached to your network. Administrators can create file shares on these drives and then back up server or desktop data onto them. While this is the fastest, most convenient backup method, it doesn't let you bring data off-site easily.”  Article

No matter what your backup preference is, there are some basic guidelines that should be followed to ensure the backup is done properly and effectively. The first thing that should be done is a test of the restore operations—this should be repeated regularly. To begin, restore a few files to make sure that the backup mediums are initializing properly. This is also a good time for the user to get familiar with the process so that it can be repeated weekly without error. Second, make sure that simple-to-operate backup software is chosen. This will facilitate the process and encourage the user to perform the backup each week. Backup applications designed for large enterprises are often too complex for small-business IT resources. It is up to the business owner to determine the correct software that should be implemented.

SWK can help you to find the proper software for your company, and we’re only a call away. Third, if you run databases or e-mail servers like Microsoft Exchange, look for a backup application that natively supports them. This will perform the system backup without shutting down your database or e-mail server first and restore data with less hassle. Additionally, there should be some kind of data recovery software on hand to restore data from hard drives—or from devices not protected by your backup strategy—in the event of a catastrophic failure.

What it boils down to: sometimes it's impossible to avert disasters, but being prepared can make them less disastrous.