Monday, 10 November 2014 Blog ehdf

Data Security

The data center of today contains a plethora of equipment– database servers, application servers, web servers, load balancers, telecommunications and storage systems, redundant power supplies, environmental controls, and security devices. The advent of cloud computing, rich Internet applications, service-oriented architectures and virtualization has further added to the dynamics of the modern data center.

This shift has added many layers of complexities and IT managers must ensure the security of data to protect it from malicious attack or compromise.

Here are a few simple steps to follow:

Step 1: Prevention: In order to tackle any digital attack, the best way is to prevent it from happening in the first place. This can be achieved by the combination of firewalls, antivirus tools and other preventive systems.
Antivirus tools readily scan server storage disks and running processes to discover and isolate malware based on the registry of common bugs and viruses, while firewalls scrutinize the network packets entering and leaving the network, deciding which should be forwarded to their destination. Intrusion detection and prevention systems are also used to discover and halt network break-ins.

Step 2: Active monitoring: Network Operation Center (NOC) staff should be appointed to keep an eye on and analyze reports generated from the above tools as well as visibility reports built into virtualization software and network management. By monitoring these reports, the NOC staff can spot attacks instantly and come up with strategies to halt these attacks accordingly.

Step 3: Response and remediation: Once an attack is discovered, there are certain steps to follow:
– Do not use electronic devices to communicate about the hack as hackers generally monitor their target networks to see if they have been discovered.
– Report the hack to your technical staff and the police
– The log information should be monitored to detect how the access was gained and necessary action must be taken to fill in the security gaps
– Lastly, once control is regained, backups can be used to restore any damaged information

This era is information driven and new viruses and malwares are invented daily to break through the security walls of IT companies. This makes it vital to keep constant vigilance and stay up-to-date. It is also recommended to incorporate various training programs to train employees to tackle cyber-attacks.