Virus Info

Access Security:	The first line of defense in allowing access to systems, programs, and data is requiring password access. This can and always should be done at the computer system and network level. It can also be implemented for individual software systems and programs. Word processing and document management programs have features to add password protection to individual documents. I recently developed a large software system that had many different functions and programs and was accessed by many different types of users. Some information in the system is highly confidential and only a few senior users are allowed access. Users are assigned levels of access that correspond to groups of functions. Thus, financial users can access only the accounting and some reporting functions, while customer service representatives can access only ordering and related functions. Encryption of data is another way to protect information. Encryption makes it more difficult to do development and maintenance, but offers a high degree of protection against intruders who attempt to circumvent other access protection schemes. Encryption can protect against "back door" access to data.
Virus Checking:	Regular and frequent virus checking of all data, files, and memory is a must. Anti-virus programs are not very expensive and most of the manufacturers offer free upgrades of the virus signature files for some period of time or even forever. Some programs are even free. The cost of a good anti-virus program is well worth the investment. I recommend checking the web site of the manufacturer regularly, at least every two weeks for downloads of new virus signatures. You should run the anti-virus software regularly, perhaps every week or more often. Many of the programs have a component that can be enabled to run all the time in the background which will (hopefully!) detect any viruses coming in with downloaded files or e-mails.
E-mail Protection:	I use (and recommend) several types of e-mail protection. My Internet Service Provider (ISP) provides a feature called a Spam Eliminator. They scan e-mails on the server and delete those that are known to be from spam sites or that have signatures that would appear to be spam. Before using this feature I was receiving 10-15 spam e-mails per day. Now I receive 0-2 and the ISP software is quick to add new sources. Some ISPs and other organizations offer a service where they virus check all in-coming e-mail. I also have this feature enabled. One day I received notification that a large number of e-mails destined for me had been dropped because of virus detection. The source of the e-mails was one of my clients and the client was unaware of the problem. This detection allowed me to inform my client of the problem and then they proceeded to eradicate it. The other method I use is a visual one and I highly recommend this. When I receive an e-mail I first look at the address of the sender and the subject line in the In Box. If it is not something I expect or/and I don't recognize the sender, I delete the e-mail and any attachments without ever opening it. I have never found that I missed an e-mail because of this.
Backup:	Backing up your hard drive regularly is a must. Disks can go bad, files can be deleted by mistake, virus infections can render files useless, and decisions can be made to revert to an earlier version of a file, data, or program. Backup all data regularly. All systems should have some sort of backup system - tape or CD. My ISP offers free web space and advertises that the disk space allotted to the web space can be used for backups, although the space is probably too small to backup most computers nowadays. Backups should be done on a regular schedule and backup tapes or CDs should be cycled so that there are always several sets of backups available in case it is necessary to restore files. The schedule of backups depends on the usage of the computer. On a network, a backup of the network drives should be done every night. Users should not keep any data on personal computers. All data should be kept on the network. If anything besides programs resides on personal computers, then the users must be responsible for backing up the data. Commercial programs aren't terribly important for backup because there will usually be a master copy filed away somewhere on diskette, the network, or CD-ROM.
Firewall:	This is a hardware device, essentially another computer, that serves as a buffer between the Internet and the server(s). Generally this would involve too much cost and "firepower" for the individual, unless running a network that is connected to the Internet at all times through DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) or a high speed communications line. This type of device is highly desirable, however, for a an office with multiple computers and one or more networks.