2014 November 28 Archive - EXEIdeas

As a mobile server provider, data security is an important part of your business. When you take into account all the data that is stored on your server in a virtual format, you will easily realise the fact that loss of such data can cause irreversible damage to your business.Data protection is however not easy. It needs strict discipline in transactions and a certain security enhancement drill in place. Here are some measures you can take to strengthen your mobile server against data and security breach.Establish Strong Passwords:This is possibly the easiest and most obvious tip for preventing breach of security and data loss from a mobile server. You can create strong passwords by using a combination of lower and upper case letters, symbols and numbers. Make the password at least 8-12 characters long. It is wise to refrain from using any personal data, common sequences of characters, words spelt backward or a sequence of characters found together on the keyboard as passwords. Most encryption software have an inbuilt password strength checker that indicates the strength of your password as very strong, strong, medium, weak or very weak.Another security enhancement drill related to the passwords is frequent changing. The industry standard is 90 days beyond which you should not keep one password. In case you find your data to be of very sensitive nature, do not hesitate to change the password more frequently.Make sure every user on your server has a separate username and password right from desktops to Content Management Systems. Do not share a single password. Last but not the least, never write down a password anywhere.Put Up A Strong Firewall:Experts in the industry emphasize on the necessity of a strong firewall for a secure mobile server. Firewalls are a must in order to protect the network as they control incoming and outgoing traffic. Firewalls are quite standard across the board and it is recommended to subscribe to a well known brand only.Update Your Programs Regularly:Make sure that the systems on your network are patched and updated regularly. Unless you update and patch your software regularly, there is no point in installing a program however great it may be. Experts say that the security of your applications is only as strong as the recent update that you carried out to them. Updating the programs keeps you abreast of the software issues that programmers may have recently fixed.Encryption Software:Mobile servers are at the highest risk of being stolen due to their portable nature. It is therefore wise to resort to some special steps to prevent loss of data in the event of a loss of server. One of the best ways to render the device useless in case of a theft is to encrypt the laptop on which the mobile server runs. Encryption software modifies the way information appears in the hard disk and makes sure that it cannot be accessed until the correct password is entered.Remote Wiping Enabled:Remote wiping is another effective tool against data and security breach. As the name suggests, remote wiping is the act of destroying data on a device by sending a command to it from a remote location. Remote wiping enabled device are more secure against thefts and security breaches than devices with encryption.Loss of data is the worst nightmare that a business owner can have. Not only does it entail loss of essential information, classified at times, but also compels you to reinvent the wheel to generate the data again. The 5 tips mentioned above, if followed in letter and spirit, can go a long way in obviating the possibility of a breach of security in your mobile server.About the Author:Deney Dentel is the CEO at Nordisk Systems Inc., a managed data backup and recovery solution company in Portland, OR. Deney is the only localised and authorised IBM ProcTIER business partner in Pacific Northwest.Find Me On LinkedIn