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Continuous Updates: Necessary
IT support in Houston is more integral today than ever, and one of the most important areas where your business stands to experience exceptional profit in this regard pertains to cyber-security. From smartphones to personal computers, to the cloud and the IoT (Internet of Things), modern online connectivity is ubiquitous and necessary. Data reception, processing, transfer, consolidation, and simplification are big money. Hackers understand and have found devious means of using this to their advantage.
Ever heard of ransomware? In a nutshell, it’s a virus that imprisons your files and won’t return them unless you pay the fee. Things like this can be exceptionally costly and even bankrupt a company if not properly managed. And with the ubiquity of modern technology, there’s an equal concentration of hackers always finding new ways to compromise security. Ever heard of Moore’s Law? Basically, it’s like this: technology of the computational variety doubles between every 12 to 18 months. We may be reaching an upper limit, but the implication here is that methods of technology breach are going to transition on a statistically similar curve. That means you need to continuously update your security protocols for maximum security. Not once every several years, not annually, not monthly— this is something you’re going to have to do weekly.
VoIP
One area where many people totally miss the mark on this has to do with VoIP. Voice over Internet Protocol allows for telephone systems to be cost-effectively consolidated over the web, saving businesses hundreds and thousands of dollars on phone expenses monthly. Of course, hackers are going to find a means of exploiting this. One of the most common ways this happens today is “vishing,” which is like “fishing,” but over the phones. Hackers sneak into back doors left open in a VoIP network by unsuspecting businesses and steal information that way, then sell it to the highest bidder— or use it themselves; depending on the circumstances.
Defending against this is done through what’s known as an SBC, or Session Border Controller. This is a system of protection characterized as either a software application or a dedicated hardware device. It’s kind of like a special forces unit protecting your VoIP network. How calls are made, how they progress, how they end— these things are all protected through an SBC. Think of an SBC as your VoIP network’s firewall. With an SBC:
- Unauthorized network sessions are curtailed
- You’re not going to get eavesdropped on
- You won’t have to deal with call-jacking
- Eavesdropping is prevented
The thing is, if you’re going to have a system like this that works, you’ll likely need IT support in Houston to help you install, monitor, and maintain it. You’re going to need regular updates, or it won’t do you much good. Do it weekly during low-traffic hours— you don’t want your business to be compromised by an update in the middle of peak operating time!
Protection
Maximizing and maintaining security is an operational necessity today. When you’re on the market for cogent IT support in Houston which can reliably assist you in this endeavor, we at ICS have extensive expertise, and can help you choose the protection solutions which best match your operation. Contact us for dependable support.
Further reading
ICS is a Texas-based 40-year-old technology company specializing in Managed IT, VoIP, Video Conferencing and Video Surveillance solutions for US and International businesses. ICS has over 4000 regional installations and specializes in multi-site businesses between 25 and 2500 employees. ICS’s customers enjoy the experience of ICS’s Total Care program which provides clients flat fee services with obsolescence and growth protection. Whether a customer elects to deploy their IT, Video Conferencing or VoIP in the cloud or on the customer’s premise, ICS can provide a full turn-key solution for our clients under one flat monthly fee.