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05
May
2020
How To Implement an Information Security Plan

How To Implement an Information Security Plan

Implementing a Security Plan

Information security and data privacy is at great risk these days. For many organizations, data has become the lifeblood for sustainability. Any compromise or breach of access to business data leads to a tremendous loss of reputation, trust, and business value that leads to substantial financial loss.

Implementing security is not simply a matter of putting a couple of pieces of hardware in place. When we talk about implementing basic security measures and creating a security plan, one could think “What does that look like?” And if that question would be asked, it would be a difficult question to answer.

Security requires a plan which includes the proper selection of hardware and software, planning for a successful installation, user training, and even preparing for "that day" when things do not go so well.

The losses we read about in everyday news is too scary to let IT security of your company be just the way it is.  Do you have a security plan in place?  Or are you just hoping that you won’t be compromised? 

 

Defense In Depth With Sophos

We specialize in security products from Sophos to help your business IT needs.  Sophos is an IT security company which develops products for communication endpoint, encryption, network security, email security, mobile security and unified threat management.  Their product called Intercept X employs a comprehensive defense-in-depth approach to endpoint protection, rather than simply relying on one primary security technique to block even previously unseen security threats like ransomware and other malware.  Sophos Intercept X is known as the world’s best endpoint protection, proven by the experts with stronger endpoint protection and easier management.

 

Discover Vulnerabilities

On a recent Saturday morning, navitend received notice from Sophos that some of their XG Firewall series devices had been vulnerable to an SQL Injection Attack. 

In case you are wondering what that means, an SQL Injection attack is where an attacker attempts to send information to a web-based application to insert or retrieve information from the application's data base. In this case, the application was the Sophos physical and virtual appliances and the database included local credential information.

When the alert came in, the navitend security team conducted a virtual meeting and within 30 minutes our team was working to patch vulnerable devices and communicate with impacted clients. Within a couple of hours, all impacted devices were patched and secure.

navitend continues to help organizations navigate obstacles and opportunities related to Information Technology and Security.  It is proven that through adopting commonly accepted, good security practices, every organization can begin to successfully manage their security risks.  Here’s some best practices we thought you might be interested in:

 

General Management

Every company should have a predefined attitude in regards to their overall security plan for the company.  It is considered an advantage to recognize a problem even before a problem becomes an emergency. Being proactive and following suggestions of an IT manager or your outsourced Managed Services Provider will help in successfully implementing basic security measures.  By doing this you ensure that your organization has done the basic efforts to defend against cybercriminals.

 

Security Policy

Security policy must provide written rules that are saying how computer systems should be configured and how organization’s employees should conduct business before they use information technology. Policies must be well controlled and be a baseline for implementation. Ask yourself “What is the most important security policy needed?”  Then define what that policy’s role is in helping to achieve your business objectives.

 

Risk Management

How does your organization identify critical information assets and risks to those assets? What are the potential financial impacts of an attack against these assets when it happens? And it will happen! Do you have insurance policies to mitigate and transfer potential losses for your information security risks?

 

Accountability, Training and Authentication

You should establish accountability for user actions, train for accountability and enforce it, as reflected in organizational policies and procedures.  Protect critical assets when providing network access to users working remotely and to third parties such as contractors and service providers.  Use network, system, file and application level access controls and restrict access as required. Also, consider using data encryption and virtual private network (VPN) technologies to ensure authentication.

 

Continuity Planning & Disaster Recovery

Hopefully your systems or networks are not compromised, damaged or even stolen.  But if that happens, you should have a plan for immediately securing temporary computer equipment and for loading your backups onto the new systems. This plan is known as disaster recovery. You should establish a plan for rapidly acquiring new equipment in the event of theft, fire, or equipment failure.

navitend specializes in helping organizations navigate obstacles and opportunities related to Information Technology and Security. Contact us today if you need help with your Sophos products or any other business IT needs.  Call 973.448.0070 and press "1" for service.

Contact us at 973.448.0070

Testimonials

  • I just had an excellent experience with Navitend! I got a new computer and I needed Microsoft Office installed and access to an additional e-mail account. The navitend team was so professional, polite, and patient with me. I am not technologically savvy at all, so they were doing all that they could with the little bit of information that I gave them. They spent over an hour trying to help me. They went above and beyond in assisting me and I was able to get everything installed that I needed. The navitend team is doing a great job!

    Denise
  • The team over at Navitend always takes care of my IT needs. They are quick to respond and patient, no matter how simple my question or need.

    Jeremy
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    Robert
  • I am truly impressed by the focus the team places on the requests from our company. Truly an excellent team!!

    Josefina
  • The staff at Navitend is very professional and strives to meet the needs of their clients. As a Small Business owner trust and professionalism are keys to conducting business. navitend sets a high standard of ensuring their clients trust their decisions are for the interest of their business.

    Christopher
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    Kathy
  • My customer service experience with navitend was absolutely amazing. My computer crashed and we needed to order a new one. navitend was there to help and get us a new computer and set it up from start to finish. The tech Corey that came out was very pleasant to work with. From start to finish he made sure that all of my programs were working properly again from my old machine. I even had follow-up phone calls from him making sure I was happy with how everything was set up. I have never experienced such exceptional customer service.

    Brian
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    M B
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    Sue
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    C Baker
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    Debbie
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    Lori
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    You and your team have really done an excellent job on this!

    Steve The C12 Group in Houston, Texas
  • navitend is always providing prompt response, strong technical skills and excellent customer service. Corey, Jeffrey and the other technical support team members are very helpful and user-friendly. Thank you all very much for your fabulous work!

    Chenghan
  • navitend’s expertise helped our firm over the past year to effectively elevate our I.T. game, powering our website into a highly interactive tool. Well done to Frank and his team!

    Chuck Steege, CFP®, CEP, President, SFG Wealth Planning Services, Inc.
  • These folks are spectacular! They're contracted by my work to provide IT support, and they are SO responsive that my mind is blown every time! Just a quick email to request help, and I immediately get a response for a patient and friendly person to call me and walk me through the solutions.

    Hannah
  • navitend has consistently offered timely, professional, and courteous solutions to our business needs ranging from troubleshooting, purchase and setup of new computers and other advice. They are my 'go-to team' and continue to be a trusted support in our time of need.

    Laurie
  • I needed to have the battery on my computer replaced. Andrea met me in person to complete that task. While with her, Andrea was able to assist me with a variety of software and computer setup issues. Andrea was pleasant, professional and patient with me and I greatly appreciated her assistance. She came to address one need but was able to fix several for which I am grateful. I think she is an asset to the Navitend team! Thanks again Andrea.

    George
  • THE BEST!! I've never felt compelled to write a review for any service until having the pleasure to work with navitend. The professional and supportive staff make an often frustrating technical situation, dare I say, enjoyable. They always go above and beyond to find answers to unique problems. Their response time is unbelievably fast. I could not more highly recommend!!

    Stephanie
  • Our company uses navitend for all of our IT needs. Rick and team worked for many hours today repairing an issue they had never seen before. With a project deadline of 5pm today, they were able to figure out the issue and get me back to work. The persistence, urgency and professionalism are 2nd to none. Thank you!!

    Matthew
  • Corey came to my rescue by getting Quick Books working for me. He is excellent at what he does. Very knowledgeable in the Tech field. I don't know what we at Equity Environmental would ever do without him. Thank you Corey!!!!

    Lucille
  • Thank you to Anthony at navitend for the time and effort he put into trying to resolve the issues my laptop was experiencing. I so appreciated his tenacity, professionalism and good humor as we tried (and tried) to figure out a solution. Anthony made sure I understood what was happening at all times, explained things thoroughly and followed up when promised.

    Maria
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    Lawrence
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    Robyn
  • My firm has used navitend for our IT needs for over 10 years and we are highly satisfied. We’ve found the navitend team to be professional, friendly, and, knowledgeable. They are sensitive to our changing IT needs and the shifting compliance landscape within the financial services industry. We recently completed a server migration and had the pleasure of working with Tony & Andrea who handled the project extremely well, ensuring a smooth transition. We are pleased to call navitend our trusted IT partner!

    Kristin
  • I look forward to working with you again in the future. Once again, thanks to your organization for your prompt response.

    Luke
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    Steve
  • navitend is an amazing resource for all your IT need! Navitend has been supporting Capitol Care Inc.'s IT needs for many years now and our relationship is wonderful! They are in the know on the latest tech trends and they are always working to enhance our security. Their support team is amazing and you are lucky to have the chance to work with Anthony DeRosa. He is professional, knowledgeable, and always willing to go the extra mile to assist us! HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS COMPANY!!!

    Nicole
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    Ralph
  • Andrea always goes above and beyond with meeting expectations and customer satisfaction! navitend provides great IT services.

    George
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    Ann
  • Corey helped me with what I thought would be a minor problem that snowballed in to some complex computer world wizardly stuff and he was so smooth and calming and had it fixed in 15 minutes!! YES!!!! Tuesday crisis obverted!!

    Kari
  • I have been working with navitend for 10+ years. Great group of talented professionals!

    Anne
  • AMAZING!!!! Every time I have an issue or question, navitend responds promptly and professionally. Each time I deal with one of their support technicians, I am always grateful for how quickly an issue is resolved and how courteous the staff is. I cannot recommend navitend enough!!! Wonderful support in a day and age when customer service can be challenging.

    Jacqueline
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    Paula
  • Our company uses Navitend for all its IT needs and every time I've had to ask them for help, they've fixed the issue within hours. Thank you so much!

    Chase
  • The nonprofit that I work for contracts with navitend for tech support. I am so grateful for this service! The support team is highly trained, friendly, professional, and is able to figure out any and every situation that requires help. I recently had a rather lengthy software installation and worked with Andrea who was amazing. I can't recommend Navitend highly enough. I'd give more stars if I could!

    Claire
  • I have done business with navitend for 10+ years and have found their products and professionalism to be 1st rate. And, from a “service after the sale” perspective … even though my company is California based, my customer experience couldn’t be better. Frank Ableson and his team are top tier professionals. Proud to be one of their customers!

    Bryan
  • The tech's at navitend are very knowledgeable and thorough. Corey was patient and kept looking into every avenue until he found the issue and fixed it. Thank you so much you guys are great.

    Lisa
  • navitend has been a great IT partner for our company.  Their helpdesk response time is the best I have experienced in my 30 year career.  navitend has helped me to have great IT services without the need to have a full time, in house, technician at significant savings to our company.

    Bob
  • Corey and the group at navitend are always so helpful and do everything they can to help. Thanks for your professionalism and continued help.

    Robin
  • Our company is more efficient and has grown as a result of navitend’s work. navitend helped us get to the next level.

    Greg
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    Molly
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    Stamatis, Co-owner Twisted Lily, Fragrance Boutique and Apothecary
  • This IT firm has been extremely patient, helpful and professional and they are immediately available to troubleshoot and solve problems whenever they arise. Highly recommend them!

    Kathy
  • Corey is the best there is at his job! He fixes everything with no problem. It's amazing to have someone to trust. GO COREY 😊

    Grace
  • Navitend is a professional, responsive, and knowledgeable organization. They go above and beyond for their clients. The other day Corey Feinsod, one of their Network Technicians, helped resolve a challenging technical issue I experienced working remotely. I appreciate that their team finds value in customer service.

    Cheryl
  • Navitend has been our IT provider for many years and we are so grateful for their hard work. Nate and Vin especially deliver exceptional service and great communication. We highly recommend Navitend for your IT needs.

    Behavioral Health Client
  • I appreciate that they didn’t just build the application. They made it better by bringing ideas to the table that not only made for a better user experience, but also kept the development costs down.

    Andy
  • navitend is a professional IT organization that I would recommend to my clients. Navitend builds strong relationships with their clients to better understand their needs. Navitend is community focused and does work to support local charities. Overall a great company.

    Michael
  • Best costumer service!! They are the nicest and most patient people. I highly highly recommend!!!!

    Stephanie
  • I recently had to work from home for the first time, and Corey at navitend provided EXCELLENT service. He was patient, kind, and followed through on all the details!

    Penny
  • Corey is ... an IT genius!!!! This man deserves a major raise and weekly bonuses!!! navitend is my go to for everything IT related, morning noon night and weekends!!! Love this crew!!

    Heather
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    Benjamin
  • navitend has gone above and beyond my highest expectations. Anthony was great! He was able to coordinate with an Adobe Rep and resolve issues that I had just put too much time into. Thank you again - It was a real pleasure working with you!

    Forrest
  • I wanted to personally thank Corey for always helping me with any concerns I have about my software inquiry issues. He is quick with his responses and I am always up to date with all my connectivity. Always a great experience! Thank you!

    Blerina
  • De'Ana gave great insight on billing issues. I recommend navitend for all IT services.

    Christian
  • This company is the best! I feel for the guys that have to help us who are not so tech savvy! Never have I been disappointed at the great service navitend provides! Corey was especially helpful and I highly recommend Navitend for all your IT needs! You will be extremely satisfied!

    Kathleen
  • Anthony was very helpful and solved all my issues promptly. I appreciate all his hard work. Thank you navitend and Anthony.

    Kyle
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    Tammie
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    Margaret
  • Corey was outstanding today in the services he provided - efficient, professional, knowlegable, kind, and understanding with someone who has no clue about computers. Thank you! 😊

    Mertie
  • navitend has been a life-saver many times for me! They are diligent in troubleshooting problems - until they resolve it. I've worked many times with Corey and he is fantastic - I can count on him to fix all my Outlook and computer problems. Overall, I highly recommend navitend.

    Bob
  • IT technician Jay provided exceptional service on our call today! I have worked with him a few times. He has been really wonderful to work with in getting all my systems set up the last few weeks. He has been so helpful, patient and really just so great all around. In regards to Navitend--- This has been the best IT team I have worked with in my career. I have worked in corporate for years prior to transitioning into non-profit, and IT support has always been one of the challenging things to deal with in both major companies I worked with. Navitend, your service is exceptional and your team is wonderful to work with. Quick response on all my ticket service requests! Thank you!

  • Corey was a great help to me.

    Renita