The three biggest threats to modern businesses are hackers, employees, and state and federal regulators.

Hackers: Today’s hackers aren’t just a couple of kids who live at home and have too much time on their hands. They’re hardened criminals, living all over the world, and they’re in it for the money. They’ll use sophisticated, automated tools to try to infect your computer with spyware, viruses, trojans and other so-called malware. Their purpose? To take over your computer and steal your identity. To use your PC to infect other machines and send out SPAM; to collect your IDs, your passwords, and the details of your bank account..To take anything and everything of value that’s currently stored on your computer—or in your internet browser.

Employees: Hopefully, we’ve all got employees who are both competent and trustworthy. So what’s the problem? Carelessness, inattention, or even simply ignorance about how they should protect themselves. Common risks include:

Employees who engage in peer-to-peer file sharing

• Employees whose laptops or home computers, which contain valuable customer data, are stolen

• Employees who lose backup tapes, CDs or DVDs

• Companies who lack a proper IT staff due to budget cuts or other reasons, and whose computer networks are haphazardly serviced by an assortment of consultants, nephews, and friends

Regulators: Information security is important, and that’s exactly why state and federal lawmakers are growing more concerned about it. But navigating the complex body of rules and regulations they’ve set forth is no easy task. Will your own networks hold up under scrutiny?

• HIPAA, Gramm-Leach-Bliley, and PCI/CISP Credit Card Security Compliance laws & rules affect almost all small businesses.

• 21 states have now passed data breach or Personal Information Privacy Act (PIPA) laws .

• The IRS and the New York State Department of Agriculture & Markets are thinking about applying the Sarbanes-Oxley Act to non-profits.

• Federal Data Breach laws that would protect Social Security Numbers, Driver License Numbers, and Credit/Debit/Checking account numbers are being discussed in the U.S. Congress.

Sound scary? Unless your business is adequately protected and prepared, it can be. Brainlink’s expert IT security team can evaluate your networks and make sure the right defenses are in place. We’ll spot the problems. We’ll fix the mess. We’ll do it quickly and effectively, and we’ll even help you save money in the process.

Run your business. Let Brainlink manage your IT.