IT policy vital for businesses

IT policy vital for businesses

Vishu Mahmud, Contributor, Jakarta, vmahmud@yahoo.com

When I was still an IT web consultant, people would always
complain to me about computer problems. Their PCs would crash,
applications would freeze up, e-mails would not go out, and
internet connections would go down. They look at me (then a sales
consultant for websites) to fix it all!

Computers have come a long way into the office world. Back in
the "old" days, computers were too expensive except for Fortune
500 corporations. Everything was done on paper, filing cabinets
and the post office. Now, an internet connection, e-mail account
and perhaps Local Area Network (LAN) are the minimum requirements
for running a business in this highly competitive world.

Small and medium enterprises are also getting into the act.
These businesses that have 5 to 50 staff members also need to
show they can continue to be a going concern without having their
competitors take them to the cleaners. Client databases,
financial data and payroll information are just some items that
are now almost exclusively stored on computers.

However, businesses should not make the mistake of not
planning for their IT investments. Downtime always means money.
Those who choose the most inexpensive and poorly planned method
of setting up their LANs and computers will eventually pay for it
in the end. Computer crashes, system failures, viruses and other
ills can now be minimized, if not avoided completely, should the
company prepare adequately to invest in their future.

Here are a few tips to make sure your computer systems, and
more importantly your data, are secured.

Make sure everyone logs in. This may be a strange thing to say
but by making sure everyone logs in with their own user ID and
password, you can ensure that only authorized personnel are
accessing company data. Enforce a company rule to ensure
passwords are keep confidential and changed periodically. Also,
with the right software, system administrators could also track
down what specific employees are doing on their computers. If
someone is downloading client records en masse, it may be a good
idea to find out why.

Get licensed. No joke. The copyright law in Indonesia will
soon be implemented and all business must have licensed copies
for their software. By purchasing legal software, you would not
only eliminate the risk of legal liabilities, you would also
obtain extra benefits such as product support or installation
assistance. Contact your local software vender if they have
flexible licensing plans or packages for small businesses.

Establish a company IT policy. Ever wonder why the e-mail
server is so slow? It could be because the person next to you is
mass mailing a funny 2-megabyte video file to the entire office.
For an office of 50 people, it would mean that the e-mail is
taking up 100 megabytes of server space, as well as consuming
power to copy it! In addition, make sure that employees are
restricted from installing their own software. All software
installations should be done by systems administrators to make
sure that nothing "illegal" is stored on a company PC. Hammer out
an IT policy to ensure office facilities are used for office
purposes.

Install an anti-virus program. Make sure you have the latest
data files of virus signatures to allow the anti-virus programs
to track down and eradicate the newest computer "malware". Always
update the signature files and ensure the software is always
running. Some popular anti virus software brands are McAfee
VirusScan (www.mcafee.com), Symantec's Norton AntiVirus
(www.symantec.com) and Computer Associates eTrust EZ Antivirus
(www.my-etrust.com). You can download trial versions from their
websites. You may never need them until a small virus takes out
all your data.

Finally, hire a full time IT administrator. It will be their
responsibility to make sure the servers are online, the internet
connection active and the office data backed up. Or, if that is
not an option, hire a professional consultant to evaluate the
current IT infrastructure at the office and discuss
recommendations. Make sure the documentation of the evaluation
and recommendations are handy and appoint someone to ensure the
systems run smoothly. It would be easier to troubleshoot once you
have a map of the company's complete IT facilities.

These suggestions are just some of the basic features that
must be considered for a business that has or is planning to
install IT infrastructure. Information is now the main asset of
companies; lose that and you may as well close up shop. Making
sure the information is safe and readily accessed would help a
business compete effectively against their rivals.

Whether it is a 3 computer network or a network of multi-
tiered file servers, properly planning your IT facilities will
ensure you don't have unpleasant surprises down the road. Luck
always favors the prepared.