Local and global networking raises many security issues. No company can ignore the issue of ‘Security’ without putting itself at substantial risk. In addition to the indispensable protection of all external access points to the network, measures must also be taken to ensure the secure use of applications that extend beyond the network. Authentication, encryption and protection from viruses are just some general aspects of the overall protection covered by the term ‘IT Security.

The starting point as ever, is the threat of attacks from malicious programs (viruses, worms and Trojan horses). The economic damage caused by viruses is estimated at several hundred million Euros for Central Europe alone.

Attacks on businesses are increasingly causing loss of data and in an average of one in twelve cases, can lead to a total failure of the network and all services. Attacks now also include phishing techniques and remote computer networks (botnets), which search for data and passwords from within an organization. The theft of confidential information usually results in a financial loss for a company. Industrial espionage can lead to losses in excess of several billion Euros per annum.

These potential exploits require strong and reliable preventive measures for IT security to deal with technical failure, human error, malicious acts, organisational inadequacy and force majeure.

IT Compliance ist not just luxury any more

The general principle is that information and communication technology is an aspect of the corporate activities that must be undertaken within a legal framework (security governance). Together with the industry-specific requirements, this gives rise to specific rules of conduct to be followed in the day-to-day operations of a company (IT compliance).
 

Depending on the legal constitution of a company, a failure of the IT system can lead to personal liability risks. If we look at the legal principles governing corporate activities, companies are above all subject to European laws on control and transparency in the corporate sector.

Companies must not only introduce a risk management system, but actively implement it. The problem: in many cases the information technology used is often considered a means to an end, without considering the implications of the legal requirements. This leads to the fact that the risks posed by a breakdown of the IT system to the company’s activities are usually seriously underestimated.

In turn this leads to a failure to recognise the importance of the technology used for the majority of a company’s processes. Risks are generally inadequately analysed and evaluated.

Solutions that fit the real problems

Active company-wide protection of the corporate network from complex threats at application and network levels requires a fundamental examination of all communications channels with customers, business partners and suppliers. The security appliances developed by underground_8 substantially increase the efficiency of any organization.
For more comprehensive protection of the business from attacks (especially complex security threats), underground_8 offers its Enterprise Firewalls, which provide wide-ranging comprehensive corporate security at wire speed.

Our Enterprise firewalls enable authorised data traffic to traverse the company’s network with little or no latency. At the same time, important resources are protected at the application layer by one of the most secure systems in the market.