IT Connection Newsletter: Issue 4

Security vulnerability testing is a fast and affordable to head off big headaches. Progent's fixed-price service assessment packages are designed for small businesses who want the best security that a little money can buy.

Is your small business network keeping pace with today's security environment? Are you protecting your network assets? How difficult would it be for a hacker to break into your information system, and what steps can you take to prevent it? Progent has developed a fast and affordable way for small businesses to answer these questions without disrupting their network operations.

Progent's Network Security Inventory packages are fixed-price service bundles that combine sophisticated network scanning technology with the proven expertise of Progent's security engineers to test the vulnerability of your network and provide recommendations for cost-effective ways to mitigate your security risk.

Progent's External Network Security Inventory package and Internal Network Security Inventory package are designed to assess different aspects of network security exposure. You can use them separately or together. Both packages offer features that address the needs of small businesses who want to take a more proactive role in making their information networks safe from all sorts of malicious assaults but who don't have the time or the budget to manage an exhaustive enterprise-class network security audit.

External Security Inventory Scan
Progent's External Network Security Inventory package tests for the threat levels of the open ports and services on your network that are exposed outside your firewall. These ports and services can include email, web sites, eCommerce applications, remote access tools, or any service that requires or is granted communication with the world beyond your firewall. This is a favorite hunting ground of hackers and, in many small businesses, a rich source of attack vectors.

Progent's security team will examine the scanned data, produce a report that summarizes and interprets the results, and make suggestions on efficient ways to reduce your exposure to attack. The external scan will not disrupt your ongoing network operations or noticeably impact your system performance. Progent offers this service package at a low set price that covers setup, scanning, analysis, reporting, and recommendations. The set price does not include remediation services which may be suggested. These follow-on services can be performed by any qualified security engineer and are available from Progent at standard consulting rates.

Internal Security Inventory Scan
Many security attacks originate from inside your company firewall and can be the result of careless employees who attach compromised laptops to your network, workers who manage to access restricted information or gain unauthorized administration rights, or lurkers in close physical proximity to your wireless access points.

Progent's Internal Network Security Inventory package tests for vulnerabilities within your firewall by looking for open ports and services that are not exposed to the outside world but that could still be a source of trouble if improperly configured.

The internal scan can be executed from any computer inside your security perimeter that you make temporarily available to Progent's security engineer. Progent will remotely download a virtual machine and the required scanning tools to the internal computer you have assigned, launch the scan, and transfer the collected data to a secure Progent site. Progent does not have to make an expensive onsite service call, and the time needed to install and subsequently remove the scanning software is negligible.

Progent's security engineer assigned to manage the Internal Security Inventory Scan will examine the scanned data and create a report that summarizes the results and suggests any mitigation measures that may be required. Progent offers this service package at a low set price that covers setup, scanning, analysis, reporting, and recommendations. The set price for the Internal Security Inventory Scan does not include remediation services which may be suggested. These suggestions are well documented and can be performed by any qualified security engineer as well as by Progent at standard consulting rates.

Find Out More About Progent's Security Vulnerability Testing Packages
For more information about how Progent can help your business with continuity planning and fault-tolerant network design, call 800-993-9400 or visit Contact Progent.

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