The Security Process @ ICG Media
ICG Media is truly a full-service network security provider.
Many companies don't realize the true importance of computer security until they are attacked, become infected with a virus, or are otherwise affected by malicious activity that causes a disruption to business. The first step to protecting data assets is developing a security policy that includes the customer's network and connections to the Internet. ICG Media helps companies first develop this policy and then we help to implement the policy by using technologies that enforce the policy.
Our security-related engagements typically consist of the following steps:
Security Assessment and Needs Analysis
The first step in any consulting engagement is to perform a needs and requirements analysis. We work with you to determine how best to meet your needs. If you'd like us to just look at a problem PC to spyware, we're happy to do so. If you'd like a more detailed analysis of your computing environment we move forward into a full-scale assessment of your entire network.
At the end of the security assessment, we provide a report detailing our findings. Included in the report are suggestions for specific changes and improvements. You can choose if and how you'd like to implement these suggestions and we can even help with that implementation.
Policy Development
An important step in securing a business computing environment is developing a security policy. A security policy defines what users of your computers and networks are allowed to do when on the network. A security policy helps to provide a roadmap to safer computing. When combined with a security assessment, the security policy gives you a detailed plan.
Quick Wins
At most of the security-related engagements that we perform we find issues that can be easily and quickly addressed. We call these "quick wins" because for little or no cost they can be addressed and tend to provide good improvements. Rather than becoming overwhelmed with other, longer-term solutions, these quick wins render immediate results so that focus can be shifted to implementing the long-term solutions and goals.
Security Implementation
If the engagement requires, ICG can implement more complex solutions such as network monitoring, intrusion detection and prevention, web proxies, and e-mail gateways to help filter spam and viruses. This stage also includes helping your existing IT staff to implement portions or all of your security policies. For some small office/home office clients ICG be the hands-on IT staff at a fraction of the cost.
Ongoing Assessment and Management
Securing computer assets doesn't stop once we've implemented technologies. New methods of attack are being discovered and used all the time. It is therefore important to regularly monitor and assess the network, both to prevent these new attacks from being successful and to gauge how successful the existing technology is meeting your needs.