So much of today's technical news focuses on when technology fails us. Security breaches, lost laptops with social security numbers and emails
that contains "too" much information are on the minds of business
people around the world. Law firm clients are acutely aware that poor
technology management can lead to unintended results and they are
asking their firm's to take note.
Here are some of the steps that firms can take to avoid being in the headlines:
Blackberry and Handheld Management
How many of your partners have lost their Blackberry in a cab or at a
restaurant? If unprotected, a Blackberry's emails and contacts are
free for the taking. Firms should consider the following to avoid an
incident:
- Require that each Blackberry has a four character password at minimum.
- Each Blackberry should prompt for a password after an hour (or less) of inactivity.
- Ensure your IT staff knows how to remotely "wipe" a Blackberry.
That lost goldmine traveling around in the back seat of a cab can be
erased from the Blackberry server to mitigate data loss.
Laptop Encryption.
Surprisingly, laptops are just as easy to loose as Blackberrys. We
have heard stories of laptops disappearing in the court room, at a
hotel or in a cab. Even if your laptop requires a password to login,
your data is still accessible to a criminal with basic computer
knowledge and some free tools you can download from the internet.
Encryption has become an attractive countermeasure, but a solid
standard has yet to emerge. Here are some options, however, to
consider:
Make users understand the "gotchas" with encryption.
From performance loss to unrecoverable data, if encryption technology
is not implemented properly you can get your firm in a world of
confusion.
In the end, there is no single, easy answer to protecting against
data loss. A solid network design and thoughtful computer policies
will provide the foundation you need to secure your firm's data. We
have helped many firms establish and implement better computer
policies. Let us know if we can help you.