Communication security is vital in business to protect confidential information from getting into the hands of criminals or aggressive competitors who will use it, not for your benefit. A whole technical discipline has grown up around this need. The United States Department of Defense often refers to these solutions for security options as COMSEC which covers cryptosecurity, transmission security, and physical security in regards to solutions for security.
Cryptosecurity has to do with encoding messages so they can’t be understood without decryption. If it is effective, no outsider or unauthorized person will have the ability to acquire the messages or even know of their existence.
Transmission security refers to measures to protect messages from being intercepted in the first place, being jammed, or interfered with. One of the most important techniques to protect transmissions into transmit messages on a range of pseudorandom frequencies. Authorized people who can receive the messages are given transmissions security keys to adjust their receivers to the correct frequencies in the right sequence.
Physical security refers to controlling the access to confidential information or data so that only authorized and security-cleared personnel can access it.
What kinds of solutions for security are available for business and how can you access them? According to the 2010 Privacy Rights Clearinghouse Chronology of Data Breaches, more than half-billion sensitive records were breached that year, largely from retailers, merchants, and non-financial businesses. These records contained such sensitive data as customer credit card numbers and social security numbers. The vast majority of businesses that experience large-scale data breaches experience serious problems, even bankruptcy within two years of the breach.
According to the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, security breaches in small businesses usually result from one or more of the following.
- Someone in the organization inadvertently posts private or sensitive information on a website, blog or e-mail.
- Malware or computer hacking results from malware being downloaded into your system. The malware enables someone to access your data files.
- Information, such as credit card information, is stolen from a point-of-sale system or payment terminal.
- A bad employee steals or leaks sensitive information.
- Information is taken from lost, stolen or discarded cell phones, laptops or other mobile devices, as well as storage media like CDs or flash drives.
- Computers or laptops are physically stolen from the premises.
Physical solutions for security is probably the most important aspect of data security in most businesses. You have to catalog the kinds of confidential and secure information you have and document where it is, what drives on what systems. Sensitive information should be kept on as few computers or servers as possible. it should be isolated so that physical solutions for security can be guaranteed. The fewer the locations of the data, the simpler the physical security.
Transmission security measures include the use of Secure Socket Layers (SSLs) or similar secure transmission connections when sending and receiving credit card data or other sensitive information. SSLs are intermediary systems that offer layers of authentication before the data is transmitted.
Simple things like effective firewalls on your computers can also prevent the accidental download of malware.
Encrypt sensitive data. Encryption becomes even more important when your data is shared with mobile devices. There are many encryption options available for businesses that will run on a laptop or business system. If data is effectively encrypted, chances are excellent that even if there is a data breach, the information will be safe.
A fundamental part of communication security is the trustworthiness of personnel in your organization. When you hire someone with access to confidential information, due diligence and careful screening are very important. Check references, make appropriate criminal records checks. A bad employee can spell the downfall of a business.
Clarus Communications will conduct an assessment to understand your business needs. This review will determine your current situation and inventory your current equipment. Once you pass our initial review, the team at Clarus Communications will provide you with a free estimate so you can compare providers. We shop the carriers saving you time and money. We have helped hundreds of companies nationwide save thousands of dollars by finding the right solution that best suits their needs. Click here or contact us at 855-801-6700 for more information.