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Layers of Protection
| posted 11/02/2007
We are all masters of risk management! You may not have thought of yourself that way, but it's true! You began learning how to manage risk when your parents taught you that you shouldn't touch something hot because it would burn you. In elementary school you learned to avoid the school bully because any encounter with him or her could hurt. So all through our lives we've learned how to manage risk. And, as risk managers, we need various layers of protection from those things that could hurt our ministry's computer systems.
Power
Power problems come in two flavors—power irregularities (spikes, brownouts, and blackouts) and "dirty power". The solution for both lies in relatively inexpensive UPSs (Uninterruptible Power Supplies).
UPSs are essential for servers, switches, and routers, and they're optional for desktop workstations (notebook computers already have them built in!). The key is that UPSs connected to our servers must communicate with them to shut them down when their batteries get low. Their configuration should also turn the servers back on when power is restored. Our firm's favorite UPSs are APC Smart-UPSs (see www.apc.com) which come with the software and cables necessary to protect and communicate with servers.
Smart-UPSs have batteries that keep systems running for a time, but they are limited if your organization experiences prolonged outages. However, they can bridge the gap between when your power goes out and your generator kicks in, allowing you to buy a generator that takes a little longer to come online, which will save you money on that purchase.
Desktop computers don't usually get UPS protection, but should always have surge protectors to help protect them from spikes that could overheat some of their components. Surge protectors should be UL listed and replaced periodically since every surge they absorb weakens them. They should also be replaced when you purchase new computers.
Web Content
One of the most dangerous risks individuals in organizations face is temptation when they're connected to the Internet. Affecting both males and females, giving in to that temptation has ruined many lives—including those in ministries. In fact, if someone is in ministry they are under greater spiritual pressure, so eliminating this issue is an important part of risk management.
There are generally two strategies to help protect our team members when they are connected to the Internet— content filtering and accountability software.
Web filtering works fairly well, and if there are students who access the Internet through your organization's system it should definitely be used. One recommended solution for this is SonicWALL's (see www.sonicwall.com) content security management device. This works well for browsing the Internet. For email content, we like Barracuda's SPAM Firewalls (see www.barracuda.com), which keep most spam from getting to users' email accounts.
