Best Practices

The key to keeping your customers safe requires that your own computer systems are fully protected. The best policies in the world won't protect your customers if your network and resources are compromised by attackers, or crippled by preventable failures.

We recommend that you check out our Eight Tips for Staying Safe Online. Protecting your network and systems requires a lot of the same steps as protecting a single computer, only on a larger scale.

Particularly, you should:

Use a firewall. A good hardware or software firewall keeps the criminals out, and your customers' sensitive data in.

Install and maintain anti-virus software. Computer viruses can steal and corrupt your customers' personal data. Your first line of defense is to install good anti-virus software on all your computers, and make sure it stays up-to-date.

Install and maintain anti-spyware software. Like viruses, spyware can compromise your customers' personal data. Spyware can also bog down your computers, costing your company time and money. A good anti-spyware program will protect you and your customers from the worst of it.

Use spam filters. In addition to being a huge drain on your company's time and resources, spam can carry malicious software and scams, some aimed directly at businesses. A good spam filter may not block it all, but it will make your email system safer and easier to use.

Install updates. Updates to your operating system and business software often close serious security gaps. Set your software to auto-update, or make sure to download and install the updates yourself regularly.

Use a "VPN" for remote access. A virtual private network or "VPN" allows your employees to access your files remotely, while still providing a strong level of protection for the data they transmit and receive.