The first thing one would need to do is to stay informed of new threats and be opened minded about what security steps are required to protect the network. Wanting a secure network will not make it secured, steps must be taken.
What type of network will be implemented? If wireless, what is the range of frequency? Who will be the internet service provider (ISP)? If the network is wireless an individual should try to gain access unauthorized from various location out-side of the building from which the network has been installed.
If it is a wired net work secure the router so that only authorized connections can be made.
If the network is an organization or company consideration should be made as to what types of devices will be connecting to the network, who will be connecting, and setting up security protocols to limit information exchange device access on a needed bases. If individuals will be accessing the network with mobile devices the organization or company should considered providing virtual private network (VPN), which uses secure “tunnels” to transfer encrypted data.
How limited is the bandwidth of the network? Will additional charges be acquired if large files are being transferred, such as multimedia?
If the sever use Unix-based or Linux servers one may want to secure the box before connecting it to the network. These servers have known security breaches and it may not take long for an individual to hack; therefore, if the box it hooked up before security measure are take the network may encounter troubles at going live. This would include up-dating any new software, and can be accomplished connecting the server to a network already confidently secured. As we learned in this class we would not want to use WEP encryption; in fact, anything less than WPA2 would just about guarantee disaster if an individual has malicious intent.
The next step is avoiding anyone gaining physical control of the server before having set-up administrator privileges. This will reduce the likelihood of anyone gaining complete control over the device.
Then one should set-up access, allowing individuals to only have access to files and devices that he or she will need. Individuals should be required to create strong passwords, and ports should be designed to lock during inactivity and requiring a log-in before becoming unlocked again. Never use default settings (including network name and password on the router), and up-date or patch all programs that will be running. Definitely ensure all firewalls are enabled.
Derrick Quealiany is a writer for various blogs. He has a degree in english and loves to read in his spare time. He is also an avid outdoorsman who loves to hunt and fish. Check out his work on email marketing and getresponse
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