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What is Server Security
Servers are the guards for your most important and sensitive proprietary information. Needless to say, this makes them a major target for hackers. If they are left unsecured, cyber hackers can exploit system vulnerabilities or unknowing employees for their own financial gain.
The techniques and technologies used to secure the important data and assets kept on an organization’s servers, as well as the server’s resources, are referred to as server security.
Securing your Servers
Cyber-attacks have spiked to a 300% since the pandemic, at most a cyber-attack is carried out every 39 seconds. To protect your privacy and businesses, use the following steps to secure your servers.
- Layer your security
There is no one-tactic-fits-all solution for keeping hackers out of your servers. Instead, a multi-layered strategy is the most successful. This entails putting in place protections to protect against typical threats such as obsolete operating systems, network vulnerabilities, underutilised programmes, and any software you host.
The most used two technical layers of security involve the use of server security certificates such as SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) and the more recent TLS ( Transport Layer Security). These two security layers are critical for protecting, authenticating and encrypting sensitive data like usernames, passwords or payment information.
Businesses may now utilise Windows Server 2019 to connect on-premises systems to Azure, adding another layer of protection and modernising critical WFH applications.
- Provide Secure Remote Access
Anyone who has ever worked from home understands how important web-based apps are to the workday. A virtual private network is frequently required to ensure that they may be accessed safely (VPN).
Remote access VPN solutions also provide protection to data communications any time the user is working on the server. Systematically, VPN clients are installed directly on the user’s machine while VPN servers reside on the brink of your network.
- Focus on Endpoint Management
Furthermore, as more employees are starting to access sensitive data and company information from their personal devices, it has become a full-time job to tie up the loose ends.
It is important to build a robust endpoint management system knowing that the employees are not always going to use their work computers for remote jobs. Employees should be granted access to certain limited resources when working remotely.
Review the WFH policies and ensure that they are both up-to-date and cover essentials like USB device usage e, IoT devices, networking devices and applications and mobile device management.
- Solidify Your Server Management Tools
Managing on-premises servers while being offsite or remote used to be a dream in the past times. But now with the evolution of technology, it is not a dream anymore. With technology like Windows Admin Center, access of remote management tooks is possible regardless of where your server is located. Whether it is troubleshooting or managing the workload, WAC allows you to perform your server security duties right from your internet browser.
- Prioritise Physical Security
It is not only virtual threats that need to be addressed. Physical breaches also pose a strong threat. Even if most of the staff is working remotely, it is still important to keep the servers cordoned off. No unauthorized person should be allowed to access the servers. The biometric locks should be rechecked to guarantee safety. All the hardware should be monitored thoroughly, may it be on the server-side or the company-issued devices.
- Update Operating System
Always using the latest version of the operating system ensures that your server is secure and have all the bugs fixed. Hackers routinely expose weaknesses in the software for the developers to work on them and fix them. Updates contain the security patches to cover those weaknesses. Failing to update to the latest version of the operating system enables the hacker to compromise the security layer and steal data off the server.
Server Security Checklist
Record Server details: You should have all the server details such as server identification number and the MAC address of the server in case any emergency occurs.
Set up server logging: Enable traceability on the server by enabling event logs. Monitor those logs and follow up on any suspicious activity as well as the accounts that log in. Also, try to back up the logs onto a different server.
Update Servers: Keep the servers up to date so as to not allow any security breach to happen.
Restrict Software: Remove any unused software as it can cause the system components to be compromised. Every unnecessary service should also be stopped.
Monitor hardware: Keep routine checkups of hardware and carry out hardware maintenance. Change any component that is old or is not working up to the mark.
Implement Backup Procedures: Try to have automatic backups integrated into the servers and keep routine checkups to know if the server is operating in top form.
Conclusion
Protecting your company from the ever-changing danger of hackers may seem daunting, especially when operating your business requires so much of your time. But if the above mentioned steps are taken care of and proper attention is given to these steps, you can have a secure and maintained server.
