5 Key Elements of Computer Security

Cybersecurity has been a growing concern for organizations across the world as attacks have grown in both complexity and volume, especially with the advent of the pandemic and as more and more people and businesses had to rely on digital tools. Recent statistics show us that in 2020, malware and ransomware attacks increased by 358% and 435% respectively.

The average cost of data breaches has risen to $3.86 million globally in 2020 according to IBM. Companies of all sizes across industries are under immense pressure to maintain the security and integrity of their company and client data. This is evident from recent statistics. Cybersecurity companies are witnessing a surge in investments with Cybersecurity Ventures reporting that in 2021 cybersecurity companies received more than $23 billion in venture capital. In such a scenario, it pays to understand computer security in detail and also to outline the five key elements to ensure the security of your systems in a network. For more guidance and resources on the same, please refer IT Support Vermont.

What is PC Security?

As should be obvious from the name itself, PC Security refers to all the technologies that are used to protect personal devices such as PCs, laptops and tablets. PC security deals with both private and public computer networks. When it is configured correctly and works the way it is supposed to, such security measures can prevent unauthorized access to your systems and data and also prevent infections from viruses and malware. Having the right PC security software in place is critical to the long term health of your system. It also protects all sensitive data stored on the system from unauthorized access, modification or deletion. Many people also refer to PC security as IT security or cyber security.

5 Key Elements of Computer Security

Securing computers from an ever evolving list of threats can seem like a daunting task to even the most seasoned information systems administrators and security professionals. But securing business systems can be easy when you always adhere to 5 key elements of building a sound computer security strategy. The first step would obviously be hiring the right talent for building a strong security foundation for your organization. These technical experts need to have the right skill sets, certifications and relevant industry expertise in cyber security and need to stay abreast of the very latest developments in the wide and highly complicated world of cyber security. This will enable them to accurately assess the security stance of your network, identify potential vulnerabilities, prioritize issues correctly and align your security standards to meet the most exacting compliance and regulation standards as well as client demands. This will enable you to protect and backup your data from unauthorized access and prevent accidental leakage as well as mitigate the impact of cyber-attacks, insider threats and various unpredictable calamitous events.

1. Availability

Employees must be able to access necessary data and computing resources at all times and a highly available system ensures just that. No matter where employees are located (on premise or remote access), information and resources must remain available at all places and times, as well as in the correct format for the employee to use. Availability of information and resources can significantly impact the user experience. And that is why the technical team as well as business leaders must focus on computer security elements that enable functional stability, reliability and long-term performance. This also involves advance planning against all potential system failure scenarios and cyber-attacks such as DDoS that are critical in ensuring long-term system availability and zero impact on user experience.

2. Integrity

Ensuring the integrity of data means employing a variety of technical tools to make sure that the data is genuine, accurate, and highly guarded against all forms of unauthorized access, modification or deletion. This is a critical step in the elements of computer security as users must always be able to trust the data that they are using. Increasingly, companies are making use of emerging technologies like blockchain and other software solutions to verify the reliability and integrity of all their data.

3. Authenticity

Establishing the correct identity of the user is a core component of computer security. While nearly every piece of hardware and software in the world makes use of some form of authentication such as credentials used in login information, such as usernames and passwords, companies are also increasingly making use of additional authentication methods such as biometric data, fingerprint analysis and retina scans. It can take some time for businesses to settle on the right authentication method for the kind of data they deal with. But in conjunction with additional security measures such as security drills and privacy training, multi-factor authentication can help businesses secure their data and prevent unauthorized access. Security training can also play a critical role in enhancing user awareness about not engaging with spam or clicking on links or attachments contained in spurious or malicious emails. It teaches them to recognize red flags early, especially in attacks such as phishing and cross-verify both the sender and the content of emails, calls and messages.

4. Confidentiality

For corporate entities, ensuring the confidentiality of highly sensitive information is of paramount importance. Confidentiality can well be understood as one of the chief objectives of any computer security and information technology teams. One method of ensuring confidentiality that has become very popular is to use an Identity and Access Management (IAM) solution in conjunction with a classification system for data. Using these, administrators can ensure that only users with the requisite clearance and permissions can access certain specific data or information. IAM systems also make it easy to use role-based security methods and access controls to enable user or viewer authorization. Even with these protocols in place, information security specialists must remain vigilant about administrative access and closely monitor data access. For comprehensive network monitoring solutions, please contact Managed IT Services Vermont.