Why Your Organization Needs An Internet Use Policy

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Employee Avatars working on a policy checklist.With computers and Internet access being such an integral part of every business, and the Internet filled with everything from gambling to x-rated websites, it is critical that every business has an Internet Use Policy in place.

This policy can help prevent your employees from accidentally or intentionally causing harm to your company or your company’s reputation. While you don’t want to give your employees the idea that they are living in George Orwell’s 1984, you want them to have a clear understanding of practices that are and are not appropriate during work hours. It is necessary for companies and organizations to create an Internet policy that everyone can live with.

Why Have An Internet Use Policy?

The purpose of a business is to make money, and for non-profit organizations, it is to fulfill the mission. In order to accomplish this, the company or organization has to have productive employees. The Internet can be a time drain and often prevent employees from being as productive as they should be.

With such a wide range of information available on the Internet, it is necessary to clarify the company’s expectations of its employees regarding Internet access. With a strong policy in place, the employee, as well as the employer, will find Internet use less confusing and frustrating.

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5 Often Overlooked Security Measures For Mobile Devices

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Hacker running away from a mobile device with a locked screen.

Threats to the business use of mobile devices are real and exist across all elements of the mobile ecosystem. According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), due to “the enhanced capabilities that mobile devices provide, the ubiquity and diversity of mobile applications, and the typical use of the devices outside the traditional network boundaries requires a security approach that differs substantially from the protections developed for desktop workstations.”

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Data Encryption Tools For The Mobile Business Executive

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Infographic depicting various devices using data encryption.

Data encryption is not one of the security options most companies think of providing for their senior executives who use, and travel, with laptops, netbooks and tablets so they can stay productive even when on the road. This is even more true of corporate executives who sometimes demand anytime, anywhere access to data residing on corporate servers.

While the big corporations can afford to spend millions of dollars on data protection hardware and software., the same cannot be said of executives in small and medium-sized organizations, especially when it comes to loss of personal information, including credit card data, patient records or other financial information, stored by the company.

Data breaches happen and information is lost every day due to small mistakes that could have been avoided by using data encryption technologies. For small businesses, these data loss events can be devastating.

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Why Your Small Business Or Organization Needs An Email Policy

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Mail envelope containing a documenton on a computer screen.

Email is an important and necessary part of your business or organization. It provides an economical and instant means of communicating with staff, customers, and vendors – that’s both simple to use and enables increased efficiency. An email policy is required to protect this necessary business tool.

An email policy is a legal document that details your organization’s definition of acceptable use for the company email system. It should indicate who emails can be received from or sent to, as well as outline what constitutes appropriate content for work emails.

In addition, having an email policy will:

  • Protect the Organization from Liabilities:

When all employees read and sign an email policy, it proves they are aware and agree to the information contained in that policy. Should an email be sent that is not considered appropriate content according to the email policy, the employee, not the organization, would bear the brunt of liability for any damages or suits brought as a result of their sending an inappropriate email.

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How You Can Protect Your Business From Crypto Ransomware

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Image of a laptop computer and "Your personal files are encrypted" notification

 

You know it is very bad news when you see the message above on your computer screen: That is what a crypto ransomware notification looks like. And if you’ve been following the news lately, you’ve certainly heard about how cities and local governments in Texas, Florida, Maryland and others have had to deal with cases of ransomware infections.

It initially started out as an annoyance: you click on a link and ads popped up on your computer screen. Then it progressed to fake anti-virus scams that installed nag screens on your computer and tried to force you to pay to remove the nag screen.

Crypto Ransomware is a new form of virus attack that encrypts files, making them inaccessible, until money (a ransom) is paid to the people responsible for locking or encrypting the files.

Big picture? Think of your QuickBooks database, Excel spreadsheets that contain vital business data, the PowerPoint presentations that took countless hours to create, and on a more personal note, the pictures and videos you’ve painstakingly collected over the years. All gone, unless you pay a ransom to the cyber criminals.

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Benefits of A Server Computer For Small Businesses

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Image of a computer network administrator managing a server computer

While cloud computing comes to mind when discussing file storage and sharing, the fact still remains that a server computer may really be all a small business or organization needs to improve business and office productivity.

Can a server computer really help your business? So many small business owners seem to think otherwise. The argument is that the old converted Microsoft Windows desktop “server” computer sitting in a corner is doing just fine.

However, that is a disaster waiting to happen  and it is bound to become a great drag on business and employee productivity. Server computers are built for storing data in a central location which ultimately saves everyone a lot of time, effort and stress. Think about it for a minute. With your corporate files in a central location, there is less need for your workers or users to try and figure out where a specific file is or who is currently using a specific document.  Servers also make it very easy to collaborate on numerous projects and whenever someone updates a file, the new information is instantly available to all.

If your business or organization is still operating in a Peer-to-Peer network environment, you need a network server.

Peer-to-Peer or work-group systems do not provide much in the way of security, and resource sharing can be somewhat problematic. In addition, your organization and users will have problems accessing other workstations, could lose data due to virus or spyware infection, and will likely experience intermittent Internet connectivity problems.

Computers networked in a peer-to-peer fashion may be adequate when you only have a few users on the network, but once you have more then 5 or 6 users on your business network, your organization should really consider investing in a network server computer.

What Is A Server Computer?

A network server computer allows organizations to centralize administration, data backups, file storage, share printers and documents, and host databases.

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