Travel and Leisure

With the rise and abundance of large corporations whose every move affect the economy, what interest can cyber criminals have on your humble business?

It is exactly that kind of thinking that captures their attention, and because you are small, they will have an easier time damaging your networks. Worse, some will even cost you big bucks.

A recent study revealed that hackers, hacktivists, and crackers do not really possess a strong motive for breaking into other people's computers and stealing their date. Some simply want to practice their skills, improve them, or see how far they can go without getting caught.

Of course, for them, it may be fun, but for us, their entertainment is an additional burden to carry.

Business people have it worse; aside from possible hardware and software malfunction, there is also the risk of confidential data at risk of theft.

Your first line of defense

Before you start worrying about who can steal from you through the internet, be practical and view your workplace as the foremost participant at risk and to pose risks.

Your first line of defense is called physical security. This refers to the ways you ensure that your hardwares are protected.

Begin by orienting your employees on the do's and don'ts in the office. Warn them not to insert just any flash drive into your computers, as the downloaded files in them may carry viruses that will jump into your system. The same goes for hard drives and burned CDs.

A big part of this is entering into agreement about the internet etiquettes you must all follow. Minimizing or banning the use of social networking sites are big leaps towards safety, especially because most viruses, worms, and Trojans travel through email attachments.

Scams still happen away from the internet. Beware of phone calls that request your personal information or inquire about the status of your company. Without validation on the identity of the caller, hang up. Do not give them the chance to persuade you, because you will be in big trouble once they do.

Your computer's shield

Acquiring antivirus software is a good way of defending your employees and your business from experiencing malware. Computers rely on this to maintain the cleanliness of your downloaded items. They help you identify the threats you are not aware of. An antivirus program is usually equipped with the ability to get rid of the threat itself.

Make sure your employees keep the antivirus software turned on, especially when accessing the internet. As malwares are continuously undergoing evolution, so are software companies keeping pace with methods on how to counter them.

Upgrade your antivirus regularly to keep its virus directory up to date. If it recognizes a threat but cannot identify exactly what it is, chances are that it will not be capable of dealing with it accordingly.

This way, you have less to worry about while remaining confident that your files are safe.

Let us say you do want to hire the assistance of a professional but do not have the budget for it; your next best option is the latest antivirus software.

A cloud antivirus is clearly defined as an anti-malware technology that uses light-weight agent software on the protected endpoint while offloading the majority of data analysis to the provider's infrastructure.

This is the perfect solution for those of us who do not have the time nor the skills (no matter how hard you try) to utilize antivirus software to their maximum capacity.

Acquiring Cloud anti-virus protection will reduce your frustration, as it was designed to be less user reliant. Sustain good internet connection, and it will be the one to update its virus signature directory in order to know what new threats have arisen since you installed it.

You can keep track of the infections detected and other reports through your preferred web browser. The other benefits a Cloud anti-virus has are centralized management and PC deployments made easier.

Constantly read articles about the newest internet fishing techniques and the viruses released into the world wide web. Whether or not you think cyber criminals will target your small business matters very little. What was designed to harm another can always reach you.