Spring cleaning isn’t just about getting the winter’s dust and dirt back outside where it belongs. Your network and servers can also collect their own versions of virtual junk that should be periodically swept out of your virtual world. Not only does this free up space for things you need your network for, but it also helps to limit some potential security threats.
Pull Down the Latest Patches
While you should consistently run all of the white labeled security updates for your software, it can be easy to get behind in the course of a busy year. Spring is a great time to set aside a few weeks to download and install all of those software patches you’ve been meaning to—and just didn’t get around to installing.
Start with ensuring that your operating systems are at the correct level. Once this is done, patch the major applications on your network. Then, prioritize the updates for the lesser used packages.
Keeping up with operating system and software patches ensures that these systems are running at peak efficiency as well as getting rid of any known vulnerabilities to hackers.
Get Rid of Those Old User Accounts
Have you gone through and deleted all of the user accounts for people who no longer work for your company? Unfortunately, your network could be vulnerable if you haven’t. Old user accounts are a great way for hackers to find a back door into your network systems, particularly if these users held administrative privileges. Take the time to check out which accounts are being used and which ones should be flagged as inactive or outright deleted. It is a great way to ensure that there are no accidental security breaches on your servers.
Check Your Security Settings
Are the security permissions for all of your users set properly? Do the administrative assistants really need full administrative access to servers? What about the accounting person who has administrative rights in the R&D share?
Over time, users and computers tend to collect security permissions they don’t need. Take the spring as a yearly security review to ensure that users only have the permissions that they need to get their jobs done.
Change Those Passwords
Passwords are like milk in the refrigerator. If you let them sit there long enough, they are going to turn into a huge mess that isn’t fun to clean up.
You should have a password policy that forces your users to frequently change their passwords. Do you have the same for administrative accounts, inactive maintenance accounts or hardware specific accounts? If not, take the time quarterly to set up a policy for changing the passwords on these accounts as well to ensure better security.
Trust Stamford IT Consultants at U.S. Computer Connection to Help You with the Job!
Don’t feel comfortable cleaning up your own network? Let the IT Security Professionals at U.S. Computer Connection take the lead. Check out what U.S. Computer Connection, your local Stamford IT consultants, can do for you.