I’d be the first to admit to being a wee bit paranoid when it comes to security. I’m one of those people who like to doublecheck the front door each and every time I leave the house to make sure that it’s locked tight.
As annoying as this can be, at least it means that when I finally do head off down the street, I can be fairly confident that my home is reasonably secure. Given the amount of information and equipment stored in most modern workplaces, it’s not surprising to find that many business people feel the same way about their business premises and as such tend to invest a small fortune in ensuring that their place of work is protected.
This is a sensible move and I’d be the first person to applaud any business that takes preventive steps to stop physical intrusion. This is all well and good but it seems that when it comes to stopping virtual visitors, most small firms are not only ill-prepared but also uninterested in doing anything about it.
With more companies relying on technology to run their business, the need to safeguard information is paramount and yet it seems that although firms are happy enough to splash their cash on state-of-the-art alarm systems and CCTV cameras, few are willing to take even basic steps to secure their data.
Enterprise Ireland recently looked at the IT status of 96 small and medium-sized firms, almost all of which were manufacturing or internationally traded service companies. The organisation commissioned BSM, a Galway-based consultancy firm, to visit each company for a day to carry out an IT/e-business audit and offer them advice on how to address the issues identified.
The consultants had some bad news to report back; they found that the firms analysed has serious weaknesses in relation to IT management, especially with regard to security and data backup. In fact, almost half of the organisations assessed were classified as being at serious risk due to shortcomings with many firms lacking even a policy as to what to do in relation to virus protection and other basic issues.
All of this is very worrying because chances are this scenario is being played out in companies across the country. And it’s a situation that is likely to become even more dangerous when firms begin adopting new technologies such as Wi-Fi. The bottom line is that firms are increasingly at risk from intruders, hackers and even disgruntled employees, all of whom could access your important business data for dubious purposes.
Not to do anything to prevent this is akin to not just leaving your front door wide open but also erecting a large sign outside the premises alerting thieves to the goodies inside.
10/05/04
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