https://www.sikich.com

Stop Security Threats Before They Start

Carl Miller

Jul 5 2018

3 min read

Like it or not, every company deals with security threats on a regular basis. Some companies focus on remediation and cleanup, while others focus on prevention to work to stop security threats before they start.

Recently I had the opportunity to attend an event where about 75 IT professionals discussed how they deal with security threats like Viruses, Malware, Hacking, and other related items. Would you believe that a large amount of those professionals were focused mostly on remediation and cleaning up the mess AFTER the issue occurred, rather than stopping it before it ever started? While every good security plan should include cleanup as a last resort, I’d prefer to avoid the downtime and related problems whenever possible.

Your company’s security plan should be comprised of multiple layers that work harmoniously with each other. One layer may be a firewall to keep the bad guys out, another layer may be your anti-virus software to isolate items that do make it on your computer. If this is the full extent of your security plan you need to start taking notes!

In addition to the above-mentioned items, there are products that go much deeper in preventing your systems from being compromised in the first place. One product is Cisco Umbrella, which stops computers from even reaching the bad part of the internet that have the viruses and malware. There are also many products that offer Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) to ensure if a hacker did get your password without your knowledge, they won’t be able to use it. Additionally, one of the newest security products to hit the market does what’s called machine learning and behavior modeling. These technologies allow you to model how your computer systems are supposed to behave under normal conditions and will then alert you when something abnormal happens, such as logging into your email account from out of town.

Our networks are an ever-changing environment. Every day we add more servers, more workstations, more phones, more IoT devices. As IT professionals, we do not have the luxury of relying 100% on antivirus products to properly protect us (have you ever tried installing anti-virus on an IoT light switch or camera?). At Sikich, we understand that Security is complex, and at times confusing, but we have teams of skilled people who deal with security every day ready to give you a hand! Let us know how we can help!

This publication contains general information only and Sikich is not, by means of this publication, rendering accounting, business, financial, investment, legal, tax, or any other professional advice or services. This publication is not a substitute for such professional advice or services, nor should you use it as a basis for any decision, action or omission that may affect you or your business. Before making any decision, taking any action or omitting an action that may affect you or your business, you should consult a qualified professional advisor. In addition, this publication may contain certain content generated by an artificial intelligence (AI) language model. You acknowledge that Sikich shall not be responsible for any loss sustained by you or any person who relies on this publication.

About the Author

Carl Miller

Carl Miller is a Senior Engineer on the Network Operations Center team. In addition to being a high end technical resource, he configures and manages the technology that automates tasks and prevents issues with our managed services and managed hosting clients. Carl has numerous industry certifications and over 20 years of experience in the IT industry.