All postsBeefing up security advice with facts
Latest reports now online for enterprise, small business and home users.
At SE Labs we spend our time testing things that are supposed to protect you but we also understand that securing your business, or your home network, is never as simple as installing one or more security products.
The risks are many and varied, but the ways to mitigate them are often most successful with a good dose of common sense as well as the appropriate technology. You just need to think things through carefully and make sensible decisions.
Security Schemes
Fortunately, there are some schemes out there to help you through the process. In the UK small businesses might consider the Cyber Essentials certification, which helps you address the most common computer security threats.
The five technical controls involve securing internet connections; using security devices and software; controlling access to data and services; using protection from viruses and other malware; and keeping devices and software updated. All good advice and worth following, whether or not you want to achieve certification in the UK.
However, while the advice is good it not very specific. For example, you should install anti-virus software but neither the documentation nor the consultants you talk to will tell you to choose a good product. Any anti-virus will do, it seems!
A more international option is ISO 27001, which is a Standard covering information security management systems. Completely over-the-top for home users and small businesses, but ideal for enterprises and smaller companies that work with sensitive data, this certification puts IT security into a central role in the way an organisation operates. It doesn’t specify what sort of anti-virus, firewalls and other systems should be used, but it leads you to research further and consider the risks when choosing security solutions.
- Testing Helps
So, while testing is not the be-all and end-all of choosing a good security system, it can definitely help. The testing behind this report is conducted in the most thorough and transparent way and the results are used by consultancies and large businesses around the world to help with purchasing decisions. This free report gives you an insight into the sort of advice that these large organisations follow when building a good security system.
