Posts Tagged ‘disaster recovery’

New Information Systems Security Risks - Are Your Ready?

Friday, January 1st, 2010

Most of the business industries today are liable for information security risks. Protecting the information systems and their information from unauthorized access, modifications, destructions, disclosure disruption and use has therefore become a major aspect to be considered in any business. Since some terms in relation to information systems security share common goals of protecting information, they are incorrectly used and they do indeed have slight differences between each other. Regardless of the form the data may take which could be electronic, print or any other form for that matter, information systems security is concerned with the confidentiality, integrity and availability of its information systems. Protect your data - back it up!

In different cultures information systems security is viewed very differently but for the individual it has a significant impact on privacy. Gaining entry in to the feild of data protection is not so hard with the high demand and exposure in the field. A few such choices would be security testing, information systems, auditing, business continuity planning, digital forensics, securing networks and securing applications.

Confidentiality, integrity and availability are the three main features of an information system security. The prevention of disclosure or information to unauthorized individuals or systems is the property of the confidentiality principle. Breaches of confidentiality can take many forms but it is definitely a necessity for maintaining the privacy of people and the personal information a system may contain. Integrity or in another word prevention of updating of any information is another key aspect. Errors of a database management system sometimes could lead to false actions by a user, hence it is required to update and upgrade the system constantly. Technology used such as the networking methods and the database storage methods should have zero errors in order to implement a perfect information system security. Don’t lose your data, get it backed up online!

Another point to consider is that information system security must protect the information throughout its life span which means from the very beginning of its initial creation to the final clearance of it. Further more an information systems security should be able to work equally accurately while it is in action and while it is in rest.

With information security risks reaching a critical point, many firms have put their thoughts on stopping the crisis. Recognizing the value of information and clarifying the appropriate procedures as protection requirements is a very essential point of managing information systems security and its risk. Do you backup your data off site?

Security of your Business - Protect Your Data

Tuesday, December 1st, 2009

Information security risks have grown in with a rapid phase over the years that today organizations will have to take extreme measures about it. If an information security risk goes unnoticed, it can lead to reputational damage for the organization and severe financial regulatory. Controling the security level of highly important information therefore is deadly important.

Protecting information and information systems from unauthorized access, disruption, disclosure, use or destruction is considered information security . There would be a bigger impact on the business than one would expect from a leakage of valuable information. Information security risk is the possibility of a threat trying to gain unauthorized access into an organizations information system. In order to protect the information assets, information security management processes have been put in place. Protect your data - back it up!

In an organization, not all information is equal therefore not all information requires the same degree of protection. An essential feature of information security risk management is to recognize how valuable the information is and apply appropriate procedures and protection requirements for the information.There should be a head or in other words an administrator for a database. Normalization and grading of the information will help to protect data according to its importance. Some common labels used by businesses today are public sensitive, private and confidential. Understanding of the required security controls and handling procedures for each classification of information is required by all the people attached to a specific database. Don’t lose your data, get it backed up online!

Due to the rapid change of risk factors information security risks are comparatively harder to handle. Costs are naturaly difficult to measure hence will go unnoticed. Even though the costs of hardware and software to build the controls may be estimated, it is impossible to account for the indirect costs such as the possible loss of productivity when new controls are implemented.To obtain better risk management, it is important that the companies get up to dated with the technology involved in information security risk. Do you backup your data off site?

The Importance Of Computer Disaster Recovery In Our Advanced Society

Monday, August 3rd, 2009

Computer disaster recovery is believed to be needed in businesses because it is the way to restore very important records when system computers stop working, and computers malfunctioning are not an unusual occurrence.  Computer failures are certain.  They happen every time even with the most modern models within secure networks.  During instances of computer crash, seeking out the cause and fixing it are as important as trying to recover the files.  In these instances, the cost of files lost is more tremendous than the expense of repairs and troubleshooting.  The reason of problems with computers may be due to the users’ misuse and lack of care or it may be because of external reasons such as viruses.

Most offices depend on information technology in mostly all vital functions like data storage, accounting, bookkeeping, information, records, etc.  Indeed, computer technology is an important part of basically all aspects of life.  Both small and huge companies use computers to store files, store information, make communication, surf the internet, and perform other computer related jobs.  This indicates that the central records of many offices are saved in computers.  One of these days, stacking up of records in cabinets will shortly be a way of history.  There is great reliance on computers that huge data – vital information - is saved within the drives of these electronic machines.  Although this technology is important due to its competence and speed in processing records, it has known susceptibilities.

Loss of data happens occasionally and is not uncommon.  One year of information stored in the hard drive of a computer can be lost in a flash when the computer crashes, when there are defects, or when a computer virus attacks the system, damaging files within.  This is why backing up vital records is imperative.  When a computer encounters a glitch, returning it to normal functioning is fairly easy.  PC hardware repair will troubleshoot majority of the problems and fix defective computer parts.  But salvaging lost files may be impossible, and even if there are lots of file rescue software, backing up files is still the best way to prevent data loss.  As a universal rule in many offices, backing up of important data must be performed every day.

There are a lot of methods to make a copy of records and nearly all establishments can rely on multiple sites to store records safely.  Yet another concern here is to check that these sites are secured from hacking and cyber attacks.

Technical support establishments provide assistance such as disaster recovery at an inexpensive price.  This type of assistance given ensures businesses to retrieve data or work during unavoidable mishaps.  As much as it saves people from much trouble and frustration, it likewise saves money and time.

Aside from disaster recovery support, companies may also find key advantage with additional support services such as bespoke software development, which attend to the functionality a particular company needs.

How to Choose the right Backup Storage Device

Thursday, July 2nd, 2009

It used to be that you would backup everything on your computer by using floppy disks.Today, when one sound or graphics file can easily be larger than the capacity of a disk, it would be impractical to back up even you documents using floppies, let alone your applications.  Luckily there are better options including Zip disks, CD writers, tape drives, external hard drives and even online backup services.You can also compress your backed up files so that they take up less space.Take in the following tips and you will be able to find the media that is best suited to your needs.

1) Determine the quantity and file sizes you will be backing up.

2) Figure out the quantity and file sizes of any documents or other applications you want to archive permanantly to a backup device or removable media.

3) Plan for that amount to grow considerably further along.

4) Work out your budget for a backup storage device and removable media to use with it.

5) Consider if you plan to archive photographs or scanned files, require portability of the media or the drive itself, wish to record music for playback on some other equipment, or need ease of use.Weigh each of these these factors along with your need to back up your files.

6) Work out the cost per MB of media for each drive that you are considering.zip drives themselves are cheap but the disks aren't.

7) You may want to consider buying a 100MB zip drive if you need limited storage capability (less than 1GB).An external parallel port or USB Zip drive will provide the most versatility as well as offering portability.You should consider buying a 250MB Zip drive if your storage requirements are moderate (a few GB). 

8) Buy an internal zip drive if you will only use the drive for backup and you can install it yourself (installation fees add up).

9) Consider buying a CD-RW drive if your storage needs are more moderate and you will regularly back up more than 500MB of data.

10) Consider buying a Jaz drive or perhaps even a tape backup drive if you will be backing up large amounts of data on a regular basis.

11) Buy an external hard disk if you will need a lot of space, wont be keeping the old backups and dont need portability.

12)  If you require additional security, data protection and the ability to recover your data quickly then online data backup should be a serious consideration.