Five Network Security Must-Haves for Any Small Business Owner

That network security is important for small business owners is a fact well acknowledged and known to all. As someone who runs a business, it becomes imperative for you to keep your data totally secure. This forms the base of your business and contributes greatly to the success of your business. Small businesses may not have the kind of resources to fix problems that big ones have. Hence network security and prevention of security breaches have to be accorded top priority...

There are some very notable things that a small business owner should keep in mind, as regards network security. Of these the most important ones, the five must-haves are-

1. The Firewall

Always use a firewall and make sure it's up to date. Attackers always look for open ports in a network. A firewall makes sure that ports that don't need to be open are locked down and thus it blocks the entry of a hacker who would love to do away with your business data and date pertaining to your customers. Make sure that you always choose from the latest generation of firewalls installed on your network and also make sure that the firewall is up to date. Another thing to be noted is that the default password of the firewall has to be changed and made 100% secure. The default username and password would be easy to hack, so always change it and go for some password that's strong and safe.

2. The IPS

IPS (Intrusion Prevention System) plays a key role in network security as it monitors the traffic flow and watches for anomalies that could be indicators of malicious activities.

3. The WAF

WAF (Web Application Firewall) is for securing your applications against all attacks. So, if you're hosting applications, always make sure that WAF is also there. It's a very effective network security tool.

4. The VPN

Having a VPN (Virtual Private Network) is important as regards network security. A VPN would allow your employees to log into your network from remote locations too, through an encrypted and safe tunnel. Thus your employees too get the protection of the same firewall, IPS (Intrusion Prevention System) and WAF (Web Application Firewall) that's installed at your office. The information on the network is secured on the one hand and on the other hand, users who'd attempt to come in from risky, unsecured mobile environments would be blocked.

5. The Antivirus

Having an up to date antivirus software, as everyone knows, is vital to computer security as well as network security. As we know, the AV program constantly scans computers in a network for suspicious and malicious activities, like the entry of a malware or for any other kind of threat. Therefore having an effective, trusted antivirus is also key to network security. Make sure this antivirus software is updated regularly.

These are the must-haves for network security; there are many other important things that small business owners need to keep in mind, including updating the router's firmware, having a Denial of Service System, having web-filters etc.