Security is a vital part of information technology that is often misunderstood. To clarify IT security we can break it down into its constituent parts…

1. Network Perimeter Firewall– A firewall and/or Intrusion prevention system is your first line of defence and protects your “borders” from malicious activity and other unwanted traffic.
2. Desktop and Server Firewall – A software firewall such as the built in MS Windows Firewall or Zone Alarm, is perfectly adequate for most environments and restricts connections to and from desktops and servers.
3. Desktop and Server Anti Virus – All machines need some sort of anti virus solution, some are good others not so good. As general rule stick with well known vendors… like McAfee, Symantec, Kaspersky etc.
4. Desktop and Server anti malware – There are many so called “anti malware’ packages out there that sometimes turn into the very product we are trying to avoid (Vista Anti Virus anyone?). The easiest and simplest way to stop them is to use “Windows Defender”; it is a FREE and regularly updated utility from Microsoft for genuine Windows users.
5. Email Security – Generally called email hygiene, a good system will cover both anti virus and anti spam measures and can be executed using one or both of the following methods…
   • Hardware appliance – this is a device like the Borderware Security Platform that actively scans email using state of the art mail filters to deliver a 99.9% accuracy rate. The advantage of a hardware appliance over the software system is much improved performance and reliability.
   • Software Program – An installable program that intercepts email after it has been received by the email server and scans it for viri and malware. Usually cheaper than a hardware appliance, the weakest link typically being the security and performance of the operating system and hardware it resides on.
6. Windows Updates – All Windows machines must be regularly updated to harden them against emerging threats and to ensure the performance is maintained.
7. Backups – Your last line of defence. A robust backup and recovery strategy can help you recover from any type of catastrophic failure quickly. Whether by way of a malicious attack, or hardware failure, a carefully considered contingency plan will help you recover from any disastrous scenario with a minimum of downtime.

These 7 parts are your endpoint and network security fundamentals, ensuring these basics are covered will help you protect your network and its services from external and internal threats plus provide protection against un-authorized access for your vital business information.