You wouldn't go out and leave your front door unlocked, you wouldn't allow strangers off the street to move into your home and you wouldn't use the same key and lock for every door, and why is this? It is because we have been taught how to protect our physical world and space through a millennia of evolution and societies values. In an online world, it is easy to say that things aren't real, or that there are no threats because you can't see them. The problem is, much of our 'real lives' are now played out online, such as online banking and communication. We all understand the concept of the computer virus and the 'trojan horse', but it is difficult to deal with threats if you don't know that they are there in the first place.
In the same way that large international companies employ people to protect their doors and buildings, they also employ people to guard their computers and databases. Sometimes, when something is very important it is worth getting an expert in to protect it; these experts will test the penetrability of systems to inform the company of vulnerable spots. Surely the security of your personal online life is as valuable as the security of a company? This is what Graeme Batsman the director of 'Data Defender', which is currently doing work for a multinational mining company thought. Having worked at major international corporations, including Marks and Spencer and Deutsche Bank, he has now embarked on a project which aims to deliver the same high quality advice offered to these institutions to anybody, through the website http://www.itsecurityguide.co.uk.
The site is a completely free to use, non-profit advice service open to anyone who seeks it. In a world where “1 in 20 e-mails are infected with malware” “Roughly 1 in 3 computer users has been a victim of viruses, spyware or phishing” and near on “9000 new viruses are created each month” this service is invaluable. The site offers a bank of tips, including a CEHs (Certified Ethical Hacker) guide to creating an infallible password. If you want something more complex, a complete guide is offered covering every single aspect of protecting your technology, from your Wi-Fi, to your operating system to your mobile. Added to this they have a huge selection of interesting and eye opening articles, offering advice and education on data protection. If this was not enough, there is a page which dispels the myths that circulate around the internet and a blog. The site itself is hugely intuitive and user friendly, as well as offering guide videos talking your through the steps of protecting yourself, allowing even the most basic user to give themselves a high standard of safety.
This is the advice that large companies spend a great deal of their budget on, finally being put out there for you to learn yourself. This service is no nonsense, direct and simple to implement, allowing you to give yourself the security that your online life needs.
This site was founded on the 5th of November 2011 (Guy Fawkes Night) by Graeme Batsman who is director of Data Defender by Graeme Batsman - CEH (Certified Ethical Hacker), CHFI (Computer Hacking Forensic Investigator), Comptia Security+ - a leading authority on data and communications security. Graeme had previously worked for some of the world’s most respected corporations including Marks and Spencer, Deutsche Bank and has worked in Mumbai, India. He is regularly asked for input, advice and quotes for related media articles and was recently quoted in a feature on IT security in Microsoft news as well as the Scotsman and other media sources in Europe.