Yes, IT should make sure every Finance PC has all the proper protections installed. But it’s your information that could be compromised if they didn’t.
Or, considering how much of your company’s sensitive financial information you have access to, you could unintentionally compromise that.
That’s why it’s well worth checking your machine has all the most critical safeguards and that you’re practicing “safe clicks.”
A two-minute rundown of these best practices for securing your computer can let you know if you and your fellow finance staffers are doing all you can … or whether you need some extra protection:
Security software
Yes, almost every company has some sort of software to protect from viruses. But there are actually four different types of security software that should be on every finance PC. Make certain yours has:
__ Anti virus protection. The most common protection – you probably have this. But make sure it stays up to date.
__ Anti Spyware. Spyware is rampant these days and can particularly harm Finance by accessing account numbers, passwords, payment information.
__ A program like Identity Finder that will help you search for, protect, and dispose of personal information stored on your computer or file shares.
__ Software to track when any applications on your PC are either out of date or are in need of a security update.
Safe behaviors
Of course the right technology is a great start. But the moves you and other Finance staffers make everyday could be the difference between being protected and being vulnerable.
__ Avoid Administrator like the plague. There are few times you need to work in this function. If you visit an unfamiliar site while in the administrator capacity, you could reformat your hard drive, delete all your files … even create a new user account with administrative access!
__ Don’t download software off the Internet. Any of these sound familiar: KaZaA, Bonzi, Gator, HotBar, WhenUSave, CommentCursor, WebHancer, LimeWire, and Gnutella? All appear to be something you could need … except that they’re actually spyware (or contain it).
__ Log out or lock your PC every time you leave it. Trip to the ladies room? The vending machine? Do it every time. This is a habit that takes getting used to, but once you do you’ll be protected.
__ Restrict remote access. Yes, there is some data Finance needs to share with other departments. But there’s plenty it doesn’t. And the way certain programs work, if you don’t set it up properly, by default the folder is accessible to everyone. That’s the last thing you want.
