I’m going to go out on a limb and say that you’ve got a lock on your front door.
After all, most of us do: we want to keep the bad guys out of our houses and our families and possessions safe.
Maybe you’ve even got more than one – a deadlock and a Yale – on the basis that more locks equal more security.
But I’d wager that that’s where it ends: most of us don’t have three locks.
At the ‘three lock’ point, the additional security benefits are outweighed by the inconvenience of trying to unlock three locks, standing in the rain, maybe with shopping and young children and a wet, impatient dog who, like all dogs, is forever on the wrong side of a door.
So, you compromise: one, maybe two, door locks.
The idea that you’ve compromised on your house security might not sit comfortably, but we balance pragmatism against idealism all the time.
Your flight to your favourite holiday destination has two pilots. Does the fact that they could both become ill on the flight justify a third pilot?
Or a fourth?
Data security is no different
Close (but only “close”) to ultimate security is not to connect your server to any network at all, ever.
There are times when that’s appropriate, but, realistically, these days we usually need some kind of remote access to our servers, often from both within the building and via the Internet.
But what is pragmatic, acceptable, and achievable while still keeping your data safe?
For many businesses, their data represents their Intellectual Property, i.e. the value of the business.
Taking good care of data isn’t optional
There are more security options available than ever before, from encryption and two factor authentication through to prohibiting command-line access to systems altogether.
You need to ensure you pick the right options for your data.
Maybe it’s worth reviewing how easy it is for the good guys to get to your data versus how hard it is for the bad guys – it would be time well spent.
You might want to let the dog in (or out) again first, though!
Oh, and if you need help picking the right security options for your data, just drop me mail.