Online Security Basics For Your Rental Office | The Rental Standard

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Your computer is incredibly valuable to your business. It?s where you go to access the MLS, access e-mail, store your contacts, and get in touch with leads. What would you do if your computer?s security was compromised?

We see large corporations targeted by hackers and roll our eyes when a friend?s Facebook account suddenly spouts a spammy status update, but don?t forget that small and mid-size businesses can also fall victim to online thievery. As the real estate industry increasingly relies on online technology to function, we could be making ourselves more vulnerable. Hackers often target smaller businesses because they don?t have the tech know-how to prevent it that larger corporations do.

Before you come up with a plan to protect your computer, you need to understand exactly what you need and why. All the online security options available out there get confusing, so here?s brief rundown of the types of security available and what they?ll protect you from:

Anti-virus program.
Computer viruses (much like their human counterparts) are made to spread malicious code from computer to computer through email attachments or other infected files. Viruses can be extremely disruptive to a small business, resulting in system crashes or deletion of files. Fortunately, programs?like Microsoft Security Essentials or AVG Free are free and protect, identify, and remove viruses from your computer.

Anti-spyware program.
Spyware does exactly as it sounds ? spy on vulnerable computers, collect information (credit card information, passwords, codes), and pass that information to hackers. These spread by viruses or simply by visiting unsafe websites. Spyware can be devastating to small businesses who are looking to protect sensitive customer information. Luckily, Microsoft Security Essentials includes anti-spyware in addition to anti-virus for free. Additionally, MalwareBytes is a great alternative.

Firewall.
Hardware or software-based firewalls are essential for keeping your network secure by setting up predefined rules for managing incoming and outgoing internet data. The purpose of a firewall is to separate your ?safe? local office network from the ?unsafe? internet. Network routers generally provide a reasonable hardware solution, while operating systems have a software-based solution. Additional software, such as ZoneAlarm Free provides free software to add an extra layer of protection.

Anti-adware program.
Adware generally consists of software that automatically generats annoying advertisements that just won?t go away. Its sole mission is to prompt users to purchase through these ads (whether honestly or maliciously) in order to generate referral income to the developer. Lavasoft?s Ad-Aware or MalwareBytes are great free solutions to remove these annoyances.

Protecting yourself on the net doesn?t have to involve spending lots of money on security. A?Symantec Threat Report?found that 82 percent of data that was lost or stolen could have been avoided if a business had a cyber security plan in place. Keep in mind that you?re never really ?safe? from online threats, but knowing this, it?s even more important to develop a security plan and start protecting your computer.

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Source: http://blog.rentjuice.com/online-security-basics-for-your-rental-office/

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