GAMES AND GADGETS

I have to talk about Network Security since the IT department in my office are complete idiots who don't know ANYTHING about securing networks. Whenever I insert my flash drive on my work PC, I have to scan it everyday since I always find about 50 viruses on it.

Computer Networks are a group of computers that are interconnected with each other. If you have two computers in your house and you connect them with each other so that they could exchange information, share files or printers, then you have a network. Though securing home networks are just as important, security features on home networks are different from those of a large organization.

The most common security features on home networks include user authentication, firewall, and anti-virus. On enterprise networks, there's the addition of intrusion prevention system, encryption of information, and the creation of decoy networks or Honeypots. The additional security features on Enterprise networks is understandable since enterprises have much more private data to protect.

A lot of the security features such as firewall, anti-virus, and intrusion prevention systems could be availed of by purchasing in-box solutions however, encryption of information and decoy networks needs a professional IT personnel. Please note that when you do by in-box solutions such as anti-virus and firewall, it is important to UPDATE them. The IT department in my office probably hasn't heard of the term "UPDATE" since every PC in our office has an outdated anti-virus.

When you have your network secured, it is always a good idea to test it for any potential vulnerabilities. This test is often called a penetration testing. Penetration testing is usually done by an IT professional who knows his way in and out of the system, however, you can also engage the services of professional hackers to test your system. A number of companies on the web also offer penetration testing as well as network security solutions. They could work with your IT personnel to provide you with a more secured network in order to protect your company information and prevent any malicious attack on your networks.

It's a good thing that hackers haven't bothered intruding in on our network, probably because it would be too easy for them, it would probably be like breaking in a house using just a credit card or much worse-breaking in a house with the door wide open.