Security

IT security in the headlines makes you think of subversive hackers, malicious virus writers, and attacks on highly visible resources.  For smaller organizations, this often leads to a feeling of "what do I need to be afraid of?".  The answer is: anything that poses a threat to any of YOUR business assets. 

At PCG, we provide security solutions on two fronts; strategic and tactical, both working toward a common goal: protection of your company's assets.

Strategic security encompasses risk analysis, threat assessment, policies to mitigate those risks, and incident response plans to deal with a situation should it arise.  Strategic security requires management involvement, commitment, and ultimately leaves your business well protected.

Tactical security is essentially the application of counter-measures in response to a specific threat.  For example, a risk may be losing your file server data, the threat could be a destructive virus, and the countermeasure could be the application of an antivirus program.

Depending on the size of the business and the nature of the risks, both strategies and tactics will vary widely.  We have assisted organizations in both aspects, and stand ready to secure your business.

Data Backup

Proper data backup strategy is an essential part of your business risk management.

If you are currently letting users back up their own data, or are keeping all of your data on individual PC's, your risk could be substantial.

We have developed professional backup and testing plans for servers and workstations, on many different media types and devices, including: DDS, (S)DLT, Travan, 8mm, and autoloaders.

We also have extensive experience troubleshooting existing backup systems.

Security Management

Security management includes risk management, security policies, and security education.  These three components serve as the core of an organizations overall security schema.

Risk management is essentially identifying IT assets, identifying their corporate value, and discovering what risks exist to them.

The results of the risk analysis help form Policies that outline the value management places on the assets, and what security measures will be taken in the organization to protect them.

Security education is making sure each employee is aware of the policies, and what is expected of them.  See Awareness Training on this page.

Depending on the company and environment, the goals of a security program will vary widely, and we welcome the opportunity to discuss your unique situation.

Disaster Recovery

Are you prepared to quickly have your IT systems up and running following a disaster?  Have you considered these items, and what it would cost in both time and money to have them fully functional?

• PC's and PC Software
• Network Infrastructure (Routers, Hubs, Cabling)
• Servers
• Printers
• Backup Tapes

Having a solid, up-to-date, and tested plan is the goal of disaster recovery preparedness. We have lots of experience in disaster recovery plans, and would like to share our expertise with you.

System Hardening

System hardening refers to the process of removing or reducing system security weaknesses.  A system can be a variety of types such as PC, server, or network device.

Reducing a weakness on a system may include:

• Data Classification and Access Control
• User Review / User Rights
• Port Control
• Security Patches
• Logging / Auditing

Whether the threats to your data come from the outside world or from inside the company, your systems need to be as strong as they can be to survive.

Awareness Training

One of the most important aspects of security is that your users, and management, are aware of the issues, and what is expected of them.  This is important for both compliance and non-compliance.

A user cannot be expected to comply with policies if they do not know what they are.  Training to outline the policies, briefly explain WHY the policies exist, and list consequences for breaking the policies is essential.

When an instance of non-compliance arises, it will be very difficult to prosecute the offender if no proof is available that expectations were explained to him/her.

We have conducted individual and group training on security issues for a variety of environments, and a variety of audiences from users, to management, to technical staff.

Antivirus and Patches

Widespread virus propagation has made it impossible to ignore the need for an adequate protection system. Without one, your business could be at risk for data destruction, transmission of sensitive data, and at the very least, lost productivity.

A good protection program includes two main aspects: continual updates, and the ability to respond rapidly.

Many people still do not know the importance of updating their antivirus software.  With new viruses released daily, it is critical. 

The ability to deploy new updates rapidly (as in the case of a new widespread virus) is also critical.  Besides protecting your systems faster, you will also save productive time otherwise spent manually updating software.

If you are manually updating systems, or are relying on your users to keep it updated, you may be interested in our Antivirus Maintenance Services.