I first heard about secure networking when I was taking Data Communication and Networking subject for my Computer Engineering degree about 6 years ago. Of course at that time the real application of the theory was not very apparent for a student like me, especially on the enterprise level, not until I went for my 3 months industrial training.
At that loudspeaker factory, I learn about the importance of networking. Of course for a tight fisted business owner, having an Internet access for all workstations was out of budget. Only one PC at the Engineering and Product Development department has Internet access which has been abused by the employees. Most of the PCs which the staffs used everyday were infected with all kind of virus and worms and having one IT personnel to clean it all using free antivirus program was not helping much for the company’s productivity.
The terms like Virtual Private Network or even Intranet was alien to them. I live miserably throughout my 3 months stint. Whenever HR department needs help with photo editing I have to walk all the way to that department because there’s no such thing as file sharing. I really learned a lot about the importance of IT literacy if you intend to move forward in business.
Later when I completed my degree and enter the workforce (luckily this time it was a service centre for a bank and later a call centre for an oil and gas company), my knowledge in IT could really be improved. Terms like CISCO switches, firewall, routers and all those LAN, WAN make more sense than just words in my text books.
Now that I’m running my own SOHO, securing the network becomes very crucial. The availability of wireless LAN enable me to deploy my “offices” (in this case,the whole house) without being hard wired. By networking my home, it helps to share broadband access, devices and files such as music, photos and movies. With my kind of business, being able to get connected securely is really something that gives me a peace for my mind.
As CISCO advert says, the network can do more than move data. So secure your network, and your business will be secured from threats that can jeopardize your company revenue and profitability.
