This post originated at IT Services Info & News | Ascensha. Ascensha is a Portland, OR IT company that manages and develops network infrastructure for Oregon small businesses.

A new report released last week revealed some telling statistics on the security of certain “critical infrastructure” industries like power plants, sewer/water systems, and oil/gas companies. In a survey of 600 IT security executives from companies in 14 countries, more than half have already suffered major attacks from malicious organizations. Another 40 percent expect to be infiltrated with a large-scale attack within the next 12 months.

Is your organization prepared to combat such an attack?

The report, commissioned by McAfee, Inc. and authored by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), further divulged that a majority of companies suspected opposing governments to have a hand in the attacks and that recession-induced cutbacks have increased the risk of vulnerability. Additionally, a number of executives expressed their feelings of unpreparedness for such an attack.

Furthermore, the report stated that the risk of cyber-attacks is rising, noting that over one-third of executives said the vulnerability of their sector rose within the last year in spite of increased legislative action. Only 20 percent of executives believed their sector would remain safe over the next five years. Clearly, with only 20 percent of IT experts confident in their security measures, IT security needs to be taken more seriously.

Hopefully, a report with findings such as these will encourage companies with IT departments to recognize the legitimacy of IT security and allocate more resources to provide effective information security for their organizations. And if you’re a small business without an IT staff, it’s time to seriously consider trusting a reliable IT security firm to keep your organization safe.

[photo:mark i geo]

Additional Resources:

Keep Your Computer Secure In This Bad Economy

IT Security: Back to Basics

Eliminating Small Business Security Threats

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This post originated at IT Services Info & News | Ascensha. Ascensha is a Portland, OR IT company that manages and develops network infrastructure for Oregon small businesses.

As the amount of information in the world today continues to skyrocket, it is imperative for businesses to learn how to harness the wealth of data available to them. For many small and midsize businesses, the IT department will hold the keys to achieving effective information management. Too often, however, the “IT guys” are relegated to maintenance and trouble-shooting which means, unfortunately, their ability to capture, organize, and interpret data is vastly underused and, consequently, undervalued. In an era with more access to information than ever before, how can you be effectively utilizing IT within your organization?

According to a recent publication, IT consultants Wayne Thompson and Neil Stolovitsky believe “information visibility” is the key to positively impacting business outcomes with IT operations. They conclude that information visibility works in three ways:

1. Aligning business operations with corporate strategies
2. Optimizing resource allocation and utilization
3. Reducing the burden of regulatory compliance

In effect, information visibility creates an environment where data can be easily accessed, analyzed, and used to make informed decisions — in preparation or on-the-fly.

Of course, the responsibility for effective information visibility largely falls on the IT experts. In order to successfully implement an information management strategy, Thompson and Stolovitsky suggest an initial assessment of your organization and IT infrastructure in which you identify areas of data management that congest or inhibit the overall flow of information. After the initial assessment, allow your own IT department or local IT consultants to develop solutions to streamline data flow and make it more accessible to the people who need it.

In a world where reportedly 90 percent of business executives make important decisions on inadequate information, it’s obvious that companies need an accurate picture of relevant and reliable data to make better decisions. As such, make sure you can count yourself in that 10 percent of executives who make informed decisions by letting your information technology staff do just that — inform you.

[photo: icathing]

Additional Resources:

How Important is Data Backup?

What if Data Loss Happens to You?

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