Improving the Security of Your Wireless Network

Featured article by Lora Young, Independent Technology Author

There’s no doubt that businesses today need wireless networks. Aside from providing customers with internet connectivity, businesses also use them to enhance their productivity.

Still, online threats are becoming more and more sophisticated as technology continues to evolve. Security is becoming more crucial now than ever, so businesses will need to know how to keep their networks safe from ad-hoc attacks, denial of service attacks, and other strategies used by ill-intentioned individuals or even organizations.

Investing in better security for your wireless network is crucial to protecting your bottom line. That being said, you will need to go about this the right way when it comes to setting up your defenses.

Here are a few tips to consider.

1. Make use of better data encryption

People who are out to hack your network will have better chances if your network uses WEP protection. In recent years, WEP has proven to be less effective since it can easily be bypassed using third-party software. It’s more advisable to use better network protection such as WPA that comes with a common pre-shared key.

2. Set up protocols and orient your staff

Sure enough, the best way you can keep login information from falling into the wrong hands is to come up with protocols that cover the sharing of passwords. Other than that, you also need to teach your employees about these protocols and mandate them to never use passwords, usernames, and other login information elsewhere outside the enterprise.

3. Do a site survey

In terms of sprucing up your network’s defenses against external or even internal threats, you need to know what it is you want to improve and where potential breaches are to be located. Sure enough, doing a site survey allows you to maximize your network’s bandwidth and configure access points to reduce costs, but it also allows you to ensure security compliance. Along these lines, you will have to look for a company that specializes in conducting this type of survey, assessing the performance of your infrastructure, and setting up consultations. Companies such as CTC Technologies, for instance, have the needed expertise to assess the security of your WiFi network.

4. Set up a network for guests

If you’re only using a single network for both the office and for the personal use by guests, you may want to reconsider. Having one shared wireless network opens you to a heap of problems later on since you simply can’t vouch if somebody among your guests has a hidden motive. In this sense, it’s a great idea to set up a separate WiFi network just for guests. For this, you might want to get a router that accommodates multiple WiFi networks. This will no doubt prevent people from accidentally entering your internal network.

5. Set up virtual defenses

For this, you will have to establish the right barriers that can prevent a breach from happening. You will need a strong firewall with packet filtering features for this. This will help you block the wrong users out of the network.

Considering the threats to wireless networks today, beefing up your security is not just a trend, it’s a necessity.