January 20, 2010, Nashville, TN -- While people take many different precautions to secure their homes and their personal possessions, all too often businesses neglect to take the same kind of measures to secure their corporate computer systems.

With a 33% rise in cyber crime between 2008 and 2009, and a continuing recession which has led to an increase in fraud both on and off the Internet, it is a crucial time to protect your online valuables. In fact, according to the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) — a partnership between the FBI and The National White Collar Crime Center — the U.S. lost $239 million to Internet fraud in 2008 alone. Additionally, as little as only one cyber-crime in seven is ever reported, according to ID Watchdog, Inc.

Ironically, the items that can be taken from companies via cyber crime can be far more devastating then a home theft. Cyber thieves can gain access to a wide variety of personal information and, as a result, can literally take on someone else’s identity.

Whether a company is large or small, the HR department generally maintains all employees’ personal information, including names, addresses, phone numbers, social security numbers, credit card numbers and, in some cases, even medical records. They also often hold the answers to the questions one would ask to verify someone’s identity. It can be devastating for a company to be held liable for the loss of this information. Equally disturbing, when thieves break into a computer or network, because the data is copied or replicated, no one may even realize a theft has occurred.

In order for businesses to protect their systems, Guidant Partners, Information Technology Experts recommends:

• An Intrusion Prevention System or IPS. This is an intelligent program that monitors a network for malicious or unwanted behavior and can react in real-time to block attacks.

• Operating systems should be patched continually and scanned for malware weekly.

• Implement a layered system of defense at the perimeter of the network intrusion prevention.

• Install antispyware & antivirus scanning on the firewall and content filtering.

• Hire an experienced security consultant to run vulnerability scans, penetration tests, patch management programs, and to manage your firewalls.

Guidant Partners advises the best defense in protecting your corporate system is to be proactive in implementing strategies before thieves gain access to the system.