Business Security in Finance and Banking

It is common for business owners to take security measures to protect their buildings and their employees. Video cameras, alarm systems, background checks on employees and other measures ensure that the most common physical and personnel-related dangers are countered. With the increasing presence of computers in the workplace, and the much-publicized identity thefts and other so-called cybercrimes, you would think that every business owner would recognize the importance of computer security, especially regarding such sensitive data as company finances. The problem is, many do not.

Online banking has become so fast and simple that it takes mere seconds to complete many transactions. It has also liberated many accounting department employees from taking so many trips to the bank, saving time and cost for companies. Not every business owner, however, has been keeping step with the online criminals. Business owners must learn about the risks they face and take all the necessary actions to defend themselves and their property.

What are the ground rules?
Perhaps the most important thing that you, as a business owner, should find out is the policy of the banks you are using. Every bank will have an official policy establishing their liabilities and protections regarding customer accounts, and it is essential that you understand the terms. Banks can normally afford the best computer security, and it is to their advantage to perform this important job well, so as to minimize losses and use their safety as a selling point to new customers. Banks will have numerous types of protection, and take sophisticated steps to stay abreast of the latest schemes and scams.

Some off-the-shelf computer security products will work well enough for the average home user, but experienced hackers will not be deterred by consumer-level measures. In fact, best cyber crooks have hacked into some very secure locations, and it is a constant battle for security software firms and other IT professionals to keep up with the criminals. The bank has powerful and expensive security applications, some of which may be out of the reach of the small business owner. However, there are solutions for most budgets if you take the time to discover what you really need to do.

Team effort
Business owners and banks need to see their shared responsibility for keeping accounts secure, and we can typically count on banks to protect themselves well. You need to protect your own internal system, as well as all your connections to the outside world. With the aid of software and technology you must watch your accounts closely for signs of unusual activity. You might consider designating a single workstation at your firm for accessing online accounts and making transactions, and do not use the browser to access any other sites. Social networking sites are notorious for trying to drop spyware into visitors' systems.

Standard computer security measures should always be followed. Anti-virus and anti-malware programs should be kept up-to-date and used regularly. Of course, you should also maintain your computer's operating system in good order and ensure its physical security as well. The best spyware killer in the world won't protect against an employee or intruder sitting down at an unprotected, accessible computer and copying account numbers, passwords and the like. In fact, even in this age of ever-present computers, the greatest losses in the retail industry still come from theft (and most of that is by employees). However, when cyber crime does occur, it normally involves greater sums of money. By all means, defend yourself against all of these risks.

Some basic steps
Your bank should register the IP address of the computer you use for your banking operations. You can set things up in such a way that user have to answer a security question before logging on. You can also make various agreements with your bank, such as getting notifications of funds transfers by e-mail. Some banks also offer four-part ID sets, meaning the company has an ID and password, and employee users have their own, individual passwords and IDs. In addition, there are ways to have new passwords issued daily or even hourly.

Intrusion Detection and Prevention devices (IDS / IPS) offer businesses another layer of IT security. They detect and prevent suspicious activity on the network and computing environment. Although there are many manufacturers that offer world-class IDS / IPS protection, the smaller businesses can turn to more affordable Unified Threat Management (UTM) devices. These all-in one UTM appliances can provide adequate protection from email viruses, spam, and hackers. In order to fully benefit from IDS / IPS or UTM devices, the network administrators must continually monitor hacker alerts. This can be bothersome for a 9-5 IT professional, which is why most businesses delegate the monitoring and tuning portion to network security companies. The proper firm can eliminate most threats with real-time 24x7 device monitoring, much like a security firm monitors for physical intruders 24x7, and continually protects properties.

The best advice, of course, is to talk with your bank, and then, if you are still feeling a bit insecure, with a computer security firm. A good relationship with your bank and its employees will take care of that half of your security formula. For the other half, if you want to be quite sure that you have done everything possible to foil possible cyber crooks, then you need to bring in people of that same caliber, computer security experts who spend every minute of their professional lives helping people like you protect their businesses and their futures.

Article Source: http://www.seoserviceprovider.com/articles

With over 1,000 clients and 3,000 nodes protected, Clone Systems is an industry leader providing comprehensive managed network security that yield world-class protection for your enterprise. Clone Systems proven suite of network security products and services penetrate an ever evolving market detecting malicious activity, preventing intrusions, and improving compliance, all while reducing your operating costs.

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