Network Security: why you need to make sure your network is safe?

You, or your company, need to be very aware of network security.

There are more and more risks online and if you aren't proactive you may just end up having your system hacked.

So, if you are asking, why network security, I have the answers to you.

There are so many things that can be compromised on the average home computer.

Credit card information, bank accounts, personal data, etc.

You just can't risk a thief getting their hands on such personal data.

Here are a few things you need to be aware of when deciding why you need to make sure your network is secure and that you are always keeping up with all the new threats.

These tips can help you keep your home network, as well as your office network, secure:

1. Your first line of defense in many cases is your password. 

This is a bigger issue when you are concerned with keeping a companies network safe since you will be hiring new employees and letting old ones go.

The last thing you want is the person you fired last week gaining access to your system and creating issues.

Implement a procedure to make sure that all passwords are changed when someone is let go.

For home, make sure you remember your passwords and if you have to write them down, write them down and put them in a safe place.

It might be best to not write down the actual password but write down a clue instead.

For example, if your password is the date of your first haircut, instead of just writing it out, you could write down the clue: first haircut.

2. Another thing you should do is to continually monitor all your security software. 

This software should be updated frequently as new threats are showing up all the time.

Make sure all your anti-virus and anti- spyware software is updated as often as possible.

If you are concerned with your household network, make sure that you run your anti virus program often. You can set them up to run at a certain time everyday (or night) which is the best way to go.

Many of us might forget to run it as often as we should if not for the automatic scans.

3. If you use a wireless network make sure it is a secured network. 

You can set it up so that only people who know the password can access  the network.

It only takes a few minutes to do this and the customer service department for most brands of routers can walk you through this process.

Really, making sure your home and /or work network is safe is not that hard, but it is also not something that you want to ignore.

Don't let intimidation or a lack of time keep you from protecting yourself.

There are some people out there who will gladly take advantage of you if you do.

So,if you want to know why network security, the real question you should be asking yourself is "am I doing all I can?"