The open nature of the Internet makes it increasingly important for growing businesses to pay attention to the security of their networks. As companies begin to move more and more business functions to the public network, they need to take precautions to ensure that the data won't be compromised or end up in front of the wrong set of eyes.
Unauthorized network access by an outside hacker or disgruntled employee can wreak havoc with your proprietary data, negatively affect company productivity, and stunt your ability to compete. It also can harm your relationships with customers and business partners who may question your ability to protect their confidential information.
How important is it to have a strong network security policy? The Federal Bureau of Investigation received 1154 reports of "computer intrusions" in 1999, more than twice as many as were received in 1998, according to a recent study by eMarketer, an Internet research firm. The same study also estimated that businesses lose about $10 billion per year as a result of computer security breaches.
It is especially important for companies implementing Internet business solutions such as the ones below to make security an essential part of their planning:
- E-commerce—Providing a secure ordering and partnering environment is crucial to encouraging online sales and building customer confidence in your firm. A company that loses customer data to a hacker attack may suffer permanent loss of online sales and a bad reputation.
- Virtual private networks (VPNs)—Migrating your wide-area connectivity to the Internet requires you to have proper security measures in place to keep unauthorized users out of your network. By being able to verify the identity of users, you can be sure that transmitted data is kept safe.
- Employee self-service—In order for users to self-manage their benefit information through your corporate intranet or via the Web, you need to make sure this confidential and proprietary data is accessible only to those authorized to view it.
- Hosted applications—Utilizing Internet-based Enterprise Resource Planning, Customer Relationship Management, collaborative work, or other productivity-enhancing applications means you will be moving highly confidential data over the Internet. Strong security measures are required both by your firm and the company hosting your data.
- E-mail—Companies need to consider every point along their network that may be vulnerable to mischief. Efforts need to be taken to limit the chances that your network falls prey to a computer virus that can be transported into a company's network via e-mail and other messaging technologies.