Make sure your business is secure
Information security breaches can happen to even the most savvy companies, as recent internet scams have shown. Ruth Holmes finds out how security company Securm is mitigating the risks
COMPUTER hacking is one of those things you always think won't happen to your business.
In the past many organisations hoped that simply having a firewall on their computers would protect them from cyber crime. But you only have to look at the recent assault on Hotmail, Gmail and Yahoo! Mail to see no one is immune from the risks.
Tens of thousands of email addresses and passwords for the three web-based email services were posted online by an anonymous source last month.
Data snatchers got the passwords by setting up fake websites identical to Microsoft's Hotmail, Google's Gmail and Yahoo! Mail and tricked users into inputting their details. Phishing scams like this show no one can afford to be complacent.
Lee Barney, who runs Milton Keynes security company Securm, said: "It is not about scaring people, it's about being realistic. It will happen to you if you are not careful."
Of course, it's not only electronic data security breaches that could lead to identity thefts and online fraud. Disposing of paper waste containing confidential information can also pose a huge risk to private and public sector organisations if the right procedures are not in place.
Securm, which handles all aspects of physical and IT security, is currently rolling out an initiative to help businesses in Milton Keynes get rid of their confidential waste.
The firm, a registered waste carrier, can distribute red, secure bins, which can take up to 200 pieces of paper at any one time, in any quantity required.
They then collect the bins once a month, taking responsibility for the shredding and disposal of their contents.
Lee believes the service provides a solution to the problems faced by many companies where, even if shredding facilities are available, they are often not up to scratch.
"Most people have shredding services in their offices already but they can usually only take about five to ten pages at a time. The problem comes when you have lots of potentially sensitive information you do not know what to do with. The people doing it invariably get bored and just slide it in a normal bin. That's when you get the danger of security breaches."
The team at Securm can also pick up unwanted computer hardware, wipe off any data held on it, and recycle it to meet the government's Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) regulations. Alternatively, smaller businesses can package up unwanted equipment themselves and send it to the firm's offices in Fairbourne Drive, Atterbury.
"We ensure that confidential waste is treated in a confidential way," added Lee.
Confidential waste disposal is just one aspect of the work handled by Securm, which also focuses heavily on risk management, particularly in the finance sector.
The firm uses an Information Security Risk Management System (ISMS) to identify threats to companies' key business information, making sure they are compliant with the internationally recognised standard, ISO27001. It will take clients all the way through the certification process, guaranteeing a successful stage one audit.
Once threats are identified, an assessment is conducted to prioritise the treatment of potential risks and take action to prevent them occurring. And it doesn't stop there.
The next step is ensuring companies have secure policies and procedures in place to protect business information continually.
"It is like taking a large mirror and a flashlight to your organisation and looking at all the dark crevices that you do not ordinarily look at," says Lee.
Securm can also help with continuity plans, to help businesses prepare for and survive beyond a disaster, be it a power failure or a terrorist attack.
Consultants will go into a company and review its business continuity plans, helping modify them and ironing out deficiencies.
The team's industry experts have particular experience in Hedge Funds, designing plans for the high uptime requirements needed in that environment.
"It is about looking at the risks before they happen and finding ways of mitigating them or dissolving them altogether."
Securm also runs training and awareness courses to help employees prevent a security breach, whether to a computer system or building.
The 1st Line 1st Defence course in central London is for those who work in first line support roles in an IT department.
The course teaches engineers how to spot problems, contain them and remove them, to prevent the spread of a virus or spam.
The Profiling the Administrator course is for those who work in second or third line support roles to explain the common practices used by hackers.
Online simulation labs enable staff to try hacking into a system in a real but safe and legal environment to show how easy it can be.
To help companies find out how vulnerable they are to security breaches, Securm will also carry out penetration testing – an ethical way of hacking into a system or penetrating a building to prove its vulnerabilities.
They can find out how easy it is to exploit a system and inform companies about the potential for a security breach.
Lee said: "You have got to look at your security from every aspect. You have to think of security as three sides of a triangle – confidentiality, integrity and availability. If you breach any one of these the other goes out the window.
"Security is not just about people hacking into the network. It's about everything. Companies do not have time to focus on that. That's where we come in."
>> An initial consultation with Securm is available free of charge with a non-disclosure agreement. A ten per cent discount is also currently available on all Securm services.
>> Securm is also looking for telemarketers to join its team working 12 hours a week. To find out more email jobs@securm.co.uk
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