Links: Volcanoes

Better Internet Security
If an attack comes from within the network (whether it be accidental or intentional), the firewall won't help — it's strictly for defending against external threats," said Potts. "Installing intrusion detection software on individual PCs protects the inner workings of your network. Major anti-virus companies — Trend Micro, Symantec and McAfee — offer intrusion detection in the latest versions of their software." Digital Signatures — Digital signatures are used to encrypt data between locations or across the Web. "They're especially important for companies that need to meet Federal regulations such as HIPPA and Sarbanes-Oxley," said Potts. For example, if you're a doctor and you need to communicate via e-mail with a specialist about a particular patient, you can use a digital signature to secure the patient's data so that no one but the specialist can access it." "Of course, digital signatures are more costly than the other four steps mentioned here," Potts said. "They require people to manage the encryption keys, but small businesses without the in-house resources can outsource the task to a third-party company like Verisign."