Nancy Haddad is new business development director for U.S. Computer Connection at the company-owned offices at 933 Hope St. in Stamford”™s Springdale neighborhood. The privately held company is 29 years old and employs 15.
The company”™s services include IT consulting, cybersecurity and compliance, backup and disaster recovery, cloud computing and IT project management. Haddad answered three questions concerning computer security that, like other questions in the technical world, might not have existed or might have seemed less important in the not-so-distant past.
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FCBJ: It seems basic, but how important is access to my network passwords?
Haddad: “If your business relies upon computers like many area companies and health care providers, you likely have a server, firewall, wireless access points and sundry network infrastructure hardware. All of your network hardware and your domain name are password protected to secure the network. Do you know your network passwords? Is your domain name listed under your name? If the answer is no, you might consider a new network password policy.”
Why should I care about network passwords?
“Network passwords protect your server, firewall, backup and wireless network from would-be intruders. If you are using complex passwords to lock down your network, congratulations, because you are ahead of the cybersecurity game. Most companies leave network passwords in the hands of their trusted IT professionals. But, what is your plan when something happens to that IT professional? You”™ve heard the phrase ”˜no ticket, no laundry,”™ so ”˜no password, no access”™ should not be a big surprise.”
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What could go wrong?
“Recently, we met with a prospective client who enjoyed 12 years of bliss with their IT provider. However, things changed rapidly after a recent upgrade and it could not be more apparent that the relationship would soon be coming to a close. The problem is that every password, including email and their domain name registration, is in the hands of the old provider. Not cool, but said provider is not willing to hand over the passwords ”” in essence holding the company hostage.
“Later the same week, we met with a new client in a quandary because his IT provider passed away. He is working through the probate lawyer handling the estate of his former IT guy to access his company network passwords. The probate lawyer is going through the deceased provider”™s apartment and trying to gain access to the records. What a nightmare. And if anything happens to the network in the meantime, there is not much we can do.
“Time and again we find companies have no idea the significance of their network passwords. If you are in that boat, it may be time to update your password policy. Designate yourself or a long-time employee to have access to your passwords. Keep them in a secure location, but understand and have access to the information. In addition, check your domain name registration and make certain it is registered to you or a trusted partner within your company.”
