As a decision maker and manager of an enterprise, you understand the potential risks that a business can face such as, fire, theft and natural disasters, to name a few. Fortunately, businesses can mitigate these risks by means of a basic business insurance policy. However, there are business risks related to information technology that often cannot be covered by insurance or if they can be written into a policy, they are usually cost prohibitive. However, there are effective methods to reducing uninsurable risks related to the use of computers and the Internet in your business. Our consultants can help mitigate or lower the IT risks facing your business by auditing various aspects of your network, applications, intranet, extranet and Web site, on a regular basis. 

A prime example of a risk that is not covered under most insurance policies is that of software piracy or the unauthorized copying of software. Any business or organization can be randomly (and legally) audited by software developer trade groups at a moments notice. A surprise software compliance audit can often leave your business prone to derogatory publicity and embarrassment within your local community if it is found that software was illegally copied from computer to computer, particularly on a massive scale. Moreover, it can be a costly mistake. In addition, if you choose to not cooperate in the audit, federal marshals can be called in to assist the association, forcing an immediate seizure (deletion and destruction) of unlicensed software. Such a scenario or raid could spell a disaster for your company. As part of our risk management consulting service, we can help you regularly (and independently) audit software compliance within your organization to prevent such unmitigated disasters.

There are many IT risks that must be managed properly to avoid exposing your business to potential loss. They are outlined below.

Software Compliance

Proper software licensing is not an option in running a sound business or organization. More often than not, it is the act of a disgruntled employee that reports the misuse of software to the authorities, leaving the corporation vulnerable to a bevy of lawsuits and/or fines. Thus, it is imperative that periodic independent compliance audits be performed on your firm's information system. We recommend an independent audit because system administration tools, games, and other productivity applications could be loaded on your computer system's without your knowledge and approval by your own staff. Our experienced consultants can help you conduct a thorough system audit in a matter of days or even hours depending on the size of your organization.

Disaster Recovery

Disaster recovery operations were once limited to larger businesses and organizations who could easily afford it. Now businesses and other entities of nearly any size can enjoy the benefits and piece of mind that sophisticated backup and online storage systems now provide. Our consultants can develop a disaster recovery plan capable of having you up within ours of a fire, theft or natural disaster. We work with many leading web services providers of disaster recovery systems and can help you select the correct provider for your requirements.

Patch Management

Patch management is an often overlooked and misunderstood process of computer system administration. Many network administrators often handle the process manually, which can easily overwhelm an administrator supporting multiple desktops and servers. Mismanagement of service pack releases and security patches can lead to vulnerabilities in information systems if the process is neglected. Hackers often illegally use compromised corporate Web servers to conduct their malicious activities, including hosting stolen content such as, music and videos, as well as distributing child pornography. Our consultants can assist your organization with the automating of patch management and training of your network administrators in the use of such automation tools. We can also assess the current state of your information system to determine how well you are currently being protected.

Malicious Code Attacks

Although most businesses and organizations typically have workstation-level anti-virus applications installed on their computers, many still have systems that are left completely unprotected. In addition, many businesses do not have a written company policy for preventing the introduction of viruses into various computers within their network. Our consultants can help a business or organization quickly determine if its systems are properly configured and protected against all sorts of potential malicious code attacks, such as viruses, worms, trojan horses and dangerous so-called key stroke loggers. After assessing a client's network, we suggest a number of methods of locking down their information system using cost-effective technology. We then help our client's select the optimum system for protecting their network both internally and externally from malicious attacks and threats.

System Backup

As simple and effective as it is to perform, many smaller business and non-commercial entities still fail to properly backup their computers. As part of our risk management services, this is one of the first steps we take in assessing our client's needs―system backups. We get our clients on an offsite rotational backup plan as quickly as possible that helps ensure a continuation of their business should a disaster strike its premises. 

IT Certification

While having an internal accountant doubling as a tech guru or network administrator may be practical for your business, it may not always be prudent, particularly if the individual is not certified in the information technology they help manage. For example, would you trust your car to be repaired by an uncertified technician? Probably not. While many small businesses can't afford a full-time dedicated network administrator, they should be very careful in allowing non-certified individuals operate their network. Modern computer networks or operating systems are often extremely complex and require skilled and certified technicians to manage them. Our consultants can help you hire the appropriate talent and/or help identify the best certification route for your existing staff. Or if you hire outside help or vendors to manage your network, we can help you immediately determine if they are properly certified to manage your information system.
 

Bethesda Web Services
Tel. 240-812-3088