If your small business is like many I’ve encountered, you simply do not have the time to worry about the security of your computers. At times it may seem that it’s hard enough just to get the machine to work, and by the time you do, you don’t want to have to go through the hassle of “security”. However, with a few small steps, you can greatly reduce the risk of relying on a computer for your business.
The first and most important thing you can do to protect your work computers is to keep work and home separate. The computer you
use at work should not be the same computer that your son uses for video games, or that you use to organize your photo library. The computer is a multifaceted device, but that flexibility comes at a cost. Each new application that is installed increases the complexity of your system. Complexity is the enemy of security, so make a conscious effort to keep it simple. Download nothing, unless you know what it is and know that you need it, and follow the same rule for installing programs. If you don’t know what it is or what it does, do not install it. Additionally, if you do know what it is, ask yourself if the application is absolutely necessary. If not, don’t install it.
Do you use your work computers at night? If not, turn them off. You’ll not only save money on power, but you’ll also shorten the window of opportunity for something to go wrong. Try to think of your work computer as a special purpose appliance, it is meant to do two or three things and that’s it. If it’s not in use, there’s no reason to have it on.
Browsing the Internet at work is something we all do. We find ourselves with some down time where not much is going on, or we need to be distracted from the problem at hand to let our subconscious work on the issue. Whatever the reason, be very careful about what sites you visit. Keep the list of sites you frequent down to a minimum on your work computer, and avoid any sites that are not well known and established. The smaller and seedier the site, the higher the chance that the site has either been infected with malware and is either knowingly or unknowingly spreading it.
There are many other things you can do to keep your computer safe. Turning on your built-in firewall and the firewall on your router is important. Another simple step is to turn on the WPA2 encryption on your wireless router. Installing anti-virus and anti-spyware software bundles is almost a must have, as is scheduling regular scans of your hard drive. However, keeping your computer
safe is about more than buying the latest security package. Those software bundles can scan your computer and Internet traffic for signs of malicious code, but they cannot replace wise use of your computer. Keep your computer safe by avoiding high-risk online behavior, and keeping your system as simple as possible.