The best way to ensure your applications don’t pose a security risk is to have them scanned by an experienced service provider.  Often companies don’t realize how vulnerable their apps may be to cyber attacks.  If hacked, a business could suffer severe damage.

Increasing the risk of attack is the way applications are used in today’s corporate environment.  In other words, companies don’t work in a vacuum.  Instead, the majority of applications used today are connected to the Internet.  Cloud computing has taken uploading and storing data to new levels.

Even if businesses use the Internet in limited ways, like getting updates or registering information, the risk is still very real.  It only takes one Internet connection to allow a hacker in to compromise data.  Some of the things hackers look for in corporate applications are cross-site scripting, insufficient authorization, weak passwords, sessions hijacking and more.

A security scan by a service provider can offer major benefits.  Working like a search engine, the scanning technology crawls the site to discover vulnerabilities.  It will perform a variety of tests to evaluate the level of security in corporate applications.  Most importantly, security scanning addresses vulnerabilities from a hacker’s point of view.

Taking advantage of the Internet and cloud computing technologies provide key advantages for corporate apps.  But, this mode of operation requires very diligent safeguarding of data. Security scanning is a proven way to quash any threats before they wreak havoc on business operations.

Continue to read the CoreLink Data Centers’ Blog for more information about our managed security solutions.

Without carefully planned policies in place, companies place their network security at great risk.  Some businesses have inadequate network security because their internal policies become overly complicated.  This complexity can make policies difficult for users to follow or IT staff to administer.

However, effective network security polices don’t have to be complex. In fact, managed security can be done in a more straight forward, simple manner and still be very effective.  Many security functions can be centrally managed and automated. Enforcement of security can be automated as well.

Examples of what should be included in a corporate managed security strategy would be:

• managed firewall protection
• managed intrusion detection and prevention
• managed virtual private network (VPN) protection
• PCI compliance

Each business must start with a system analysis to determine the appropriate security policies.  Then, a company needs to look at its specific business in terms of size, risks, costs and more.  A managed security service provider can help businesses determine the appropriate level of security for their operations.

It’s important to look at managed security in terms of the costs incurred from network breaches.  For example, a worm or virus planted in a company network can take IT staff significant time to repair.

During this time, network services may be unavailable.  And, any system downtime costs companies money.  Many options, technologies and services exist to provide adequate network security at costs easily justified.

The need for managed security is critical, regardless of company size. It’s not an option, but a requirement.  Even small company networks become targets for attacks by viruses and other hacker threats.

Continue to read the CoreLink Data Centers’ Blog for more information about our managed security solutions.