Having Wi-Fi gives your company a big boost. You have superb communications between departments as well as with clients globally and the ability to share files and information at the click of a mouse, and all without those messy cables snaking all over the floor. However now that you are in the Wi-Fi Zone - tips for securing your wireless business network are necessary.
In fact because it is so easy to install and be up and running people do tend to forget about the potent security risks involved. Using Firewalls and strong passwords applies just as much to Wi-Fi as wired networks. VPNs and VLANs are also useful tools which you may already be using and which can increase encryption and restrict access in the WLAN too.
The wireless router can be vulnerable. It is the access point. Once installed you may be inclined to forget about it. It will have come with a default password which may or may not have been changed. Even if it has been changed the chances are that it is something like 'router1'. This may seem incredible to you, but so many people do not appreciate the significance of strong passwords and especially not in the router. So please change it to an alpha-numeric with a few symbols and since you will not need it every day lock it securely away in your safe.
All wireless network routers emit identifying signals. The problem is that the wrong people might locate them. You should try to limit the range of this SSID signal so that it can only be traced within your own office.
Every router has an identifying signal called an SSID. There are a few options. If you can change the signal's identification, that would help. Otherwise you should reduce the strength of the signal or better still turn it off altogether. By this means, hopefully, the guy with the laptop in the coffee shop downstairs who is looking for a Wi-Fi zone will find someone else's and not yours.
The best way to protect the WLAN is with WPA or Wi-Fi Protected Access which is much more effective than the older WEP many of you will be more familiar with. WPA - or WPA2 now - allows you more freedom to set your own passwords without the limitation imposed by WEP. It is supported by most operating systems today. However if you have any device that will not support WPA like a media player or PDA, do not ignore the encryption entirely. Use WEP but change the password on a monthly basis. This will help to keep you much safer.
Another layer of your security blanket can be added by using MAC filtering. A unique MAC address is allocated to each network card and only those addresses which are authorized and appear on the so-called white list will be allowed access. This can entail a lot of setting up and if you have a constant turnover of those requiring access it will need to be updated all the time.
Now you are in a Wi-Fi Zone - tips for securing your wireless business network are important. Do not forget your laptop after work too. Turn off its Wi-Fi capability when not in use and save risks.
In fact because it is so easy to install and be up and running people do tend to forget about the potent security risks involved. Using Firewalls and strong passwords applies just as much to Wi-Fi as wired networks. VPNs and VLANs are also useful tools which you may already be using and which can increase encryption and restrict access in the WLAN too.
The wireless router can be vulnerable. It is the access point. Once installed you may be inclined to forget about it. It will have come with a default password which may or may not have been changed. Even if it has been changed the chances are that it is something like 'router1'. This may seem incredible to you, but so many people do not appreciate the significance of strong passwords and especially not in the router. So please change it to an alpha-numeric with a few symbols and since you will not need it every day lock it securely away in your safe.
All wireless network routers emit identifying signals. The problem is that the wrong people might locate them. You should try to limit the range of this SSID signal so that it can only be traced within your own office.
Every router has an identifying signal called an SSID. There are a few options. If you can change the signal's identification, that would help. Otherwise you should reduce the strength of the signal or better still turn it off altogether. By this means, hopefully, the guy with the laptop in the coffee shop downstairs who is looking for a Wi-Fi zone will find someone else's and not yours.
The best way to protect the WLAN is with WPA or Wi-Fi Protected Access which is much more effective than the older WEP many of you will be more familiar with. WPA - or WPA2 now - allows you more freedom to set your own passwords without the limitation imposed by WEP. It is supported by most operating systems today. However if you have any device that will not support WPA like a media player or PDA, do not ignore the encryption entirely. Use WEP but change the password on a monthly basis. This will help to keep you much safer.
Another layer of your security blanket can be added by using MAC filtering. A unique MAC address is allocated to each network card and only those addresses which are authorized and appear on the so-called white list will be allowed access. This can entail a lot of setting up and if you have a constant turnover of those requiring access it will need to be updated all the time.
Now you are in a Wi-Fi Zone - tips for securing your wireless business network are important. Do not forget your laptop after work too. Turn off its Wi-Fi capability when not in use and save risks.
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With so much of the world's business conducted online these days, ensuring business wifi protection is crucial. You can check out these wireless network security tips by visiting our website now.
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