<b><i>Practice Tip</b></i>Security on the Desktop

Information security has come to play an extremely vital role in today's business environment. Whether you are a solo practitioner or an IT Director of an AmLaw 100 or 200 firm, how can you best protect your company's data from being compromised? Anyone who experienced the "Slammer Worm" attack last January or the "So Big Worm" this past August knows the astonishing speed these viruses spread across the Internet. Hundreds of thousands of networks were affected within hours of each of those outbreaks. What is even more disconcerting is that in the case of the Slammer Worm, the attack exploited a well-known vulnerability in SQL Server; one which Microsoft had already fixed in a patch six months earlier. For mid- to large-size firms, a security policy is of paramount importance in order to ensure that the most appropriate security measures have been implemented with an acceptable level of competency and consistency throughout the organization. Physical desktop security, password best practices, virus protection, software installation and e-mail best practices are a few of the subjects that would form the core of the security policy document.

11 minute read November 01, 2003 at 02:07 PM

By

William Robertson