IT Security is now a vital issue for practices whether you are a Sole Practitioner or a multi branch practice. Microsoft Products are generally targeted as they are considered to be mainstream with more users.

So how can I protect my company from security attacks?

There are two main areas we need to look at. Firstly 'inside your practice' considered to be "internal", and secondly 'your connection to the Internet' considered to be "external".

Viruses
This is a program that is designed to cause your PC problems. Whether it be wiping all the files, or sending your personal files to its creator. With the rise in fast Internet connections (ADSL), it permits viruses to spread extremely quickly via email and infect more machines.

Spam
Junk email (Spam) is a very active risk to your firm. Even if the message isn't a virus, many emails are fraudulent. Many fraudulent emails are known under the heading of "phishing" (pronounced fishing) and appear to be from a genuine bank requiring your personal details. These messages are very misleading, so a removal of spam will reduce this risk of any personal details falling in to the wrong hands. It is estimated that about 9% of spam is malicious. Below is a real example of a phishing scam that we received here at PCGL.

(Click here for an example email sent to PCGL.)

We can also provide a solution whereby email is stopped from getting to your server in the first place. This will work in conjunction with current anti spam solutions as it stops spam actually getting to your anti spam solution. It has a 98% success rate, and further information can be gained by contacting PCGL.

Security Updates
Keep your machine up to date with the Critical updates the Microsoft provide. This will reduce the chances of your machine be compromised by a third party. If you have a large number of machines, it would be best to update from a central File server rather than downloading the file from the web on each machine, saving your company bandwidth.

Security advice and information
Many firms do not believe they are at risk from Internet threats. Even if they do, they may not be aware how their surfing habits can threaten the firms IT infrastructure. Unknowingly, users can install software known as "Spyware" / "Malware" that spy on your PC's activities and report back to its creator.

NetPilot Firewall
For most firms the NetPilot will be the ideal security package. Produced by Equiinet but supported by Professional Computer Group Ltd it provides a complete Anti-Spam, Anti-Virus and firewall (CheckMark Approved) system.

Security Survey
At Professional Computer Group Ltd we offer our Security survey, where we will discuss and discover where you may have problems, and can then present you with a reasonably priced and fully supported package to meet your needs and requirements.