Research paper week 5 develop a computer and internet security policy

Outsourcing IT is a money-saving cyber safety net for company data Buhrendorf, Eric 1 1 CEO and senior consultant of EVERNET Consulting, LLC in Hartford . Fairfield

County Business Journal ; Stamford  Vol. 55, Iss. 20,  (May 20, 2019): 12.

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FULL TEXT Cracking the cyber code to keep company and client information confidential without breaking the budget is a

challenge for companies of all sizes. Many business owners may think it's more secure and cost effective to

manage their tech functions in-house, but in reality, outsourcing IT saves money while protecting data.

Countless companies unwittingly do risky things every day that put their business in imminent danger of hack

attacks. Installing an antivirus program is not a comprehensive IT solution. Smarter businesses realize that every

one of their computers and servers should have antivirus, backup, patching and monitoring.

There has been explosive growth in business email compromise () attacks. Those hacks accounted for a mind-

boggling 476 percent surge between the fourth quarter of 2017 and the fourth quarter of 2018. This is the most

common attack that generally targets specific employees of a firm, usually in the finance department. Employees

believe they're dealing with an invoice from a vendor the company regularly does business with and agree to send

large sums of money. This is typically via wire transfer to what appears to be a legitimate vendor account, but it's

actually controlled by the attackers.

In addition to mitigating data breaches, the benefits of outsourcing IT-managed services, computer repair and data

backup and recovery allow a business to:

* Reduce labor costs - Outsourcing saves the salary and benefits cost of an in-house tech person.

* Allocate employee resources wisely - Keep workers focused on more profitable, core activities.

* Save capital for important projects - Customize IT management to fit your budget and adjust as needed. Work

with an IT company that offers flat-rate IT and managed services, in order to save cash every month that would

have been otherwise used for technology breakdowns.

* Enjoy exemplary network uptime - Don't worry about the company's network being down at awkward times. With

24/7 monitoring, business owners can trust their network will be running when they need it.

* Comprehensive employee tech training - From securing company tech devices when off premises to frequently

changing passwords, all staff members need to be educated about possible vulnerabilities in their day-to-day

interactions as well as proper use of software.

* Tax savings - The cost of outsourcing is generally tax deductible.

The potential risks of not outsourcing your data include:

* Violation of HIPAA compliance requirementsCompanies that have dealings with PHI (Protected Health

Information) need to have network, physical and process security metrics in place to uphold and meet the Health

Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) compliance standards for the safeguarding of medical data.

This applies to anyone who delivers treatment, operations or payments in health care. In addition to having their

own IT safeguards, every hospital and health care organization must protect itself through a well-defined and

enforced business associate management program. It covers their business associates such as accountants,

medical equipment suppliers and document shredding companies. Business associates are subject to the same

penalties as health care providers for noncompliance. If a penalty is issued, it can range from $100 to $50,000 per

violation with a maximum penalty of $1.5 million per year for violations of an identical provision.

*Lost productivity due to desktop problems - Engage an IT partner who is immediately available when you call for

anything at all such as help desk support, computer repair and fixes, etc. to avoid having employees idle.

*Increased risk Technology changes constantly. A skilled IT provider can react quickly to address threats and

provide system upgrades.

*Lack of encryption protection - If your company sends sensitive information electronically, encryption is a

necessity. There are many tools available, but setting them up is still a job for an IT professional. Once they're set

up, it's as easy as typing ENCRYPT in the subject line of your message and the email system takes care of the rest.

Encryption is also available for data stored on your hard drives. Mobile devices and computer operating systems

allow the entire hard drive to be encrypted in a way that is transparent to the user. Without it, your data is wide

open for the taking if your device is stolen. DETAILS

Subject: Data integrity; Health Insurance Portability &Accountability Act 1996-US; Cost

control; Employees; Outsourcing

Business indexing term: Subject: Health Insurance Portability &Accountability Act 1996-US Cost control

Employees Outsourcing

Location: Fairfield County Connecticut

Publication title: Fairfield County Business Journal; Stamford

Volume: 55

Issue: 20

Pages: 12

Publication year: 2019

Publication date: May 20, 2019

Publisher: Westfair Communications

Place of publication: Stamford

Country of publication: United States, Stamford

Publication subject: Business And Economics--Economic Situation And Conditions

ISSN: 08989818

Source type: Trade Journals

Language of publication: English

Document type: Feature

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Copyright: Copyright Westfair Communications May 20, 2019

Last updated: 2020-08-14

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