7 Basic Principles of IT Security

When it comes to IT, security is always a top priority. Professionals are always on the lookout for data theft, hacking, malware, and various other threats. Confidentiality, integrity, and availability are the three overarching principles of IT security. Equipped with these higher-level principles, specialists have developed seven best practices to help organizations ensure their information stays safe.

1. Balance Protection with Utility. The main challenge of IT security is finding a good balance between resource availability and the confidentiality and integrity of those resources. Instead of trying to protect against all threats, most IT departments focus on the most vital systems first and then find various ways to protect the rest of the systems without making them useless. Some lower-priority systems may be candidates for automated analysis, so the most important systems remain the number one focus. 
2. Split Up Users and Resources. For IT security to be adequate, it must know who is allowed to see certain things and perform specific tasks. A system administrator must assign access by job type and may have to further refine those limits according to organizational separations. This ensures that upper-level team members or management will have access to more data and resources than lower-level employees. Rank should not mean full access, though. A company’s CEO may need to see more data than others, but that doesn’t mean he needs complete access to the entire system. 
3. Assign Minimum Privileges. Individuals should only be assigned the minimum privileges needed to carry out their responsibilities. If responsibilities change, their privileges should follow. Following this practice reduces the chances that anyone can walk out the door with all the data from any department. 
4. Use Independent Defenses. Using one good defense only works until someone breaches it. When several independent defenses are employed, an attacker must use several strategies to get through them. Introducing this type of complexity doesn’t ensure 100% protection, but it does reduce the chances of a successful attack. 
5. Plain for Failure. This minimizes consequences should failure occur. Having backup systems in place beforehand allows the IT department to monitor security measures and react to a breach constantly. If the breach is not severe, the company can keep operating on backup while addressing the problem. IT security is just as much about limiting damage from breaches as it is about preventing them altogether. 
6. Record Everything. If and when a security breach occurs, the event should be recorded. The IT staff should record as often as possible, even when a breach isn’t happening. Sometimes the causes of breaches are immediately apparent, so it’s important to have data to look back on. Data can help to improve the system and prevent future breaches. 
7. Run Tests Frequently. Hackers are constantly improving their skills, which means IT security must constantly improve theirs as well. IT professionals continuously run tests, risk assessments, read over the disaster recovery plan, check the continuity plan in case of an attack, and then repeat. 

Technology Solutions with JK Technology Solutions

IT security is a job that simultaneously requires attention to even the smallest of details and higher-level awareness. Like many complex tasks, the process can be simplified if it’s broken down into basic steps. JK Technology Solutions is an IT Consulting Company with over 100 years of engineering experience combined. We can provide remote and on-site IT support for your hardware and software and provide systems administration and help desk services that replace the need for a full-time engineer on an “as needed” basis. We have built a team of support professionals with website, hardware, software, and network experience in corporate and residential markets. If you’ve found yourself in need of IT support, request a quote from us today.