Best practices for network security Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Best practices for network security - Essay Example Requiring proper authentication IV. MONITOR THE ENVIRONMENT A. Monitoring security logs 1. Checking for needed attention and applying a security fix B. Reviewing and updating the security policy Network Security Best Practices When it comes to securing your network, reliability and fail proof security are vitally important. With more and more data and sensitive information being conducted and housed on various networks, security has become an important part of the puzzle that must be considered moving forward. To ensure impeccable network security, comprehensive analysis and exploration of the entire network needs to be conducted. One should begin by accessing the environment, as it is through this mechanism that we can make a comprehensive risk assessment. By assessing the environment, we can observe what requirements are needed in order to optimize security. The environment is comprised of two primary elements: infrastructure and staff. A thorough review of infrastructure is requir ed in order to conduct an adequate risk assessment. Once a company knows how much its assets are worth, and what threats could potentially affect those assets, they are able to formulate intelligent decisions regarding how to protect said assets. Network security is a balanced art. It is likely that a company can apply too much security, lagging down the infrastructure, or perhaps too little, exposing the network and making it vulnerable to attack. By assessing the current infrastructure, trained security analysis' can find the balance between the right amount of security required for the particular volume of infrastructure. (Bayrak & Brabowski, 2006). The evaluation of the members of staff and their specific role in the company is important in maintaining a secure network. Each staff and role needs to be assigned a financial value and the cost of comprised or lost data associated with that role needs to be calculated. In this way, financially speaking, administrators can determine the financial repercussions of a threat in relation to the staff, as well as determine the level of security each staff member should have. A risk assessment is a tool for identifying weaknesses and vulnerabilities within a network, and then assessing where to implement security and preventative measures. Risk assessment has four main goals: to indentify the assets and their worth, to identity threats and vulnerabilities, to identify the potential impact of threats, and to provide an economic balance between the impact of the threat and the financial cost of the preventative measures. This is generally the process in which an operation can access whether a risk is at an acceptable level or whether it should be counter measured. (Gerald, 2005). The first step of successful risk assessment is to identify the assets and their appropriate values. The value placed on assets is relative to the work hours required to develop it, the cost to maintain it, the potential damage caused if it we re lost or stolen, and the potential financial gain another company or individual would receive through use of the stolen product. To assess and value the assets, the company must generally consider the following issues. Firstly, the cost of developing an asset should be carefully considered. Secondly, the cost to maintain and protect the asset should rise to the front of any discussion surrounding network security. Third, the estimated value to the asset should be calculated. Fourthly, the value