Viruses are the bane of every IT manager the world over. Keeping your network secure from this growing menace requires a proactive attitude that deals with the threat at multiple levels.

Our Anti-Virus solutions use a combined approach including anti-virus gateways to help prevent viruses entering the network perimeter through to software based anti-virus solutions to protect individual PCs.

Birmingham Telecommunications can help protect your business by providing :-

• Desktop PC Protection
• Laptop Protection
• File Server Protection
• E-mail Server Protection
• Anti-Virus Gateways
• Internal Software Firewalls
• Small Business Server Packages
• Multi-license Anti-Virus packages with centralised management

Potential Hazards that Businesses Should be Aware Of:-

• Viruses and Malware - Viruses and malicious programs form one of the most pervasive threats to businesses in the modern age. In 2003 Trend Micro estimated viruses cost businesses £25 billion in damages, up 100% from 2002.  Every business using IT should invest in some form of virus protection and ensure that all their programs are updated with the latest patches.
• Fire & Disasters - No one wants to think about the worst happening but small businesses, especially those that operate on a single site, are at a far higher risk of loosing their business completely in the event of a fire or disaster. It's a sobering fact to realise that after a fire, 70% of businesses will fail within 3 years. Regular backups, stored offsite, and disaster recovery procedures are crucial if a company is to recover from a fire quickly and maintain continuity.
• Theft - Theft is a two fold problem for all businesses. The loss of IT assets obviously has financial implications but the loss of intellectual property can be even more devastating. Statistics show that 600,000 laptop thefts occur annually, totaling an estimated £300 million in hardware losses and £2.7 billion in theft of proprietary information. Reducing the risk of data loss and minimising the damage if data is stolen involves the introduction of physical security policies, the encryption of data stored on laptops and removable media and the secure backup of company data.
• Hacking - It's easy to fall in to the trap of believing that only large companies are subject to the attention of hackers. Leaving a publicly accessible or wireless network unprotected is like shouting your company secrets from the rooftops. Protecting a network involves a thorough knowledge of the threats posed, the technologies used to protect IT assets and the best practices for ensuring hackers do not compromise your business.
• The unknown - Perhaps the hardest threat to mitigate is the threat of the unknown. Obviously this risk is harder to quantify than some of the others but good planning and disaster recovery procedures can help to minimise disruption if the unexpected occurs.

For further information on how Birmingham Telecommunications Limited can assist your business with any type of Security issue, please email us at info@birminghamtelecom.co.uk or contact us on 0121 747 2524.