What Happens In Your Office, Stays In Your Office: Wi-Fi Security
Recently, BNI operatives met with a longstanding Midtown Manhattan client to discuss the firm's expansion to a wireless office. We've observed this trend among many law firms and have, and continue, to monitor our clients' Wi-Fi security needs.
Below are several quick tips that will hopefully address some of the initial concerns of going wireless:
1. Encrypt. If you are a small firm and doing this yourself, we suggest any of the CNET 3 stars+ rated programs at http://www.download.com/. If you are having someone else doing it: confirm that they have the ability to fully encrypt and that the management aspect is easily and quickly converted to your staff.
2. Select your IP address. Default IP address ranges are typically 192.168.x.x. Make sure your unique address is in the 10. or 172. ranges.
3. Add more firewall cover. Tie your wireless into something harder to punch a hole through like a domain controller with hardware firewall. That will be in front of your public facing IP address.
4. Restrict connections. Easily written but as you would not give just anyone your office keys; install a gatekeeper and keep tabs.
The above tips are probably overkill for a home connection, but a lawyer's office can be a goldmine for those seeking early retirement through others' efforts.
Good luck, and as always,
Stay safe,
Lina
Labels: connections, domain controllers, encrypt, encryption, firewall, ip address, law firms, lawyers, wi-fi, wi-fi security
