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Premier Electronic Recruitment |
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Written by Michael Streeter
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For Jacqui Grimwood her database is the key to continuing business success.
The boss of her own specialist recruitment agency, she relies on the database to store the thousands of CV’s of potential employees as well the details of many employer clients. ‘Without it I could not do my business,’
she says. ‘It’s as simple as that.’ Which is why since starting Premier Electronic Recruitment in 1997, Jacqui has spent more and more time and money concentrating on how to protect that database from attacks from outside – and inside – the business. The database sits on a server managed by Jacqui and is protected by a powerful zonealarm firewall. She has also installed specialist software to encrypt the database to ensure that people who have physical access to her computer system cannot simply download her valuable data onto something like a pen drive. People cannot get information out without using the key. ‘I think small companies have to be as aware of a potential threat from inside their business as well as outside it. Some years ago I worked in a company where someone went and downloaded half the information – people were not clued up about that at the time.’ Jacqui adds: ‘I think staff security is a real issue now.’
New technology in the form of emails became important in Jacqui’s business from around 1998, and in recent years she has become more and more dependent on computers and the internet. When she first started using email she found she was getting hit with viruses embedded in the CVs sent to her by potential employees around the world in places such as China, India and Bulgaria. ‘There was just not the level of security then that there is now,’
says Jacqui. Since using Zonealarm anti-virus software, Spybot to sweep for spyware – programmes that spy on your browsing habits – and using Crap Cleaner to remove unwanted temporary files, she has had fewer problems. Her main emphasis now is on protecting her server from external hacking and from any internal threats. Jacqui admits she is lucky that her partner knows about computer security and has been able to keep her up to date on trends and the right forms of protection. ‘Without him I would not be sure where I would go,’ admits Jacqui. ‘I would probably have to pay for someone to help me out because I have to keep things going. If the email goes down even for a short period it’s a nightmare.’ Her advice for anyone starting up a business where they need to store data and to have internet access – which is most enterprises – is to learn about the potential dangers from the start. ‘People need to know what can happen to them, but too often they don’t do anything until after they have been hit,’ she says.
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