Posts Tagged "cloud solutions"

Unauthorized software installation is a serious problem that opens the door to several cyber attacks including keystroke loggers, trojans and malware. This issue is especially a problem with Windows operating systems that allow local administrator access by default and support file systems such as FAT32 which offer no real access control features.

Unauthorized software installations create other problems for the organization, such as legal liability if employees download and install software that is not properly licensed by the software vendor. There are many “free download” software outlets on the Internet such as “Pirate Bay,” and downloads accessed via torrents and other forms of peer-to-peer software, which can result in severe copyright penalties and legal fees should an employee download, install and use illegally obtained software.

Personnel training and awareness in this area can help in preventing illegal software installations, and malware infections such as through trojans, which are programs that appear useful while also including malicious code which compromises the system and exposes the entire company network to risk from the outside.

Although personnel training helps, organizations must ensure that unauthorized software installations do not occur, by establishing a policy against such installations along with a list of software approved by the organization. All company computers must then be configured to prevent unauthorized software installations through mechanisms such as Windows Applocker or SRP (Software Restriction Policies) that block unauthorized software installations.

Contact us to learn more about how our managed security services can decrease risk by configuring and maintaining security policies that are right for your organization and prevent rogue software installations.

The final post in this series explains how cross-site scripting attacks occur, the risk they pose for your organization, and what you can do to ensure that cross-site scripting attacks do not compromise your information security.

 

Many IT professionals and executives hold a common misconception that dedicated infrastructure, hosted within a business’ own walls, is always more secure than a cloud solutions offering. This understanding fails to recognize the myriad complexities that exist within managing computing services in-house.

While a dedicated server seems attractive, it comes with the added responsibilities of hiring additional trusted staff, navigating vendor solutions and contracts, and even the basic cost of added facilities and equipment management. Maintaining your own dedicated servers also limits your flexibility in accommodating additional resources and implementing ever-changing regulatory frameworks. From a liability perspective, dedicated servers leave your business open to litigation and regulatory actions should you fail to properly implement the latest security protocols and standards.

Many businesses are relieving themselves of these potentially catastrophic burdens by transitioning to cloud-based computing solutions. Much as how these businesses don’t manage their own bank vaults, professional cloud computing solutions are being used to safeguard the data and computing of both firms and their clients.

The very term “cloud” suggests a monolithic entity, incapable of customization and inflexible to the individual demands every business has. To the contrary, modern cloud infrastructure is much like clouds themselves: flexible, scalable, and multi-faceted. Even businesses requiring complex computing solutions that must meet privacy and security standards like HIPAA can use cloud solutions.

WHOA.com’s Private Cloud service provides individualized computing services on private servers, combining the benefits of a dedicated server with the flexibility, security, and uptime of a top-tier cloud platform provider.

Please contact us for details about our personalized cloud computing solutions.

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