Free Home Based Business Opportunity - How to Hack Proof Your Web Server

A dedicated server brings powerful capabilities to growing and established businesses alike, or a combination of those and other requirements- but whatever the reason, complex application requirements, a transaction heavy database, the reasons to move into a dedicated server are varied - a high volume of web traffic. A dedicated server is a sign of success for any SMB.

You're going to have it, and if you've chosen your server provider carefully, in most cases you're going to need help. Protecting your server from being hacked is a serious concern requiring complete attention. That power comes with an additional level of responsibilities.

Consider a large concert or sporting event. It needs to be accessible to legitimate users and locked down to the malicious ones. A web server is just a specialized application) is a tricky proposition, securing any network attached web or application server (and really.

But a solid server protection scheme will actually work to support both ends, it would seem that the two goals of access and security are somewhat diametrically opposed, as with secure e-mail service. No bags or carry-alls allowed and so on, but every step taken to bolster security usually has a negative impact on the experience- long lines for screenings, the idea is to have a large attendance of happy fans.

Overwhelming resources and rendering the server unavailable for real users, a DoS attack will pound your server with useless traffic, typically emanating from multiple unsecured servers located overseas. Denial of service style attacks, a firewall is needed to help stop brute force. It starts with a two layer "bullet proof vest" of technology in the form of a managed firewall and an intrusion protection service.

So that the process is transparent to end users, it does this in a way that minimizes latency and slowdowns. A quality firewall uses rules based access to filter and block malicious traffic while allowing legitimate traffic through.

But there's a catch, the combination lets you shift your security measures from reactive to proactive. Your IPS (intrusion protection service) in effect goes behind enemy lines, if your firewall represents your front line defenders. Placing compromised hosts in quarantine and routing qualified user traffic quickly and efficiently, blocking harmful traffic at the source, intrusion protection takes a slightly more sophisticated approach to this.

This is where your service provider comes in. It's a budget busting proposition, and for too many SMBs, it's quite another to properly manage them, it's one thing to purchase and install a couple of security appliances. Patches and more, filters, staying ahead of hackers and corporate saboteurs requires constant vigilance and regular updates to blacklists, this isn't "set it and forget it" stuff. Having firewall and IPS protection in place is only the first step.

Maybe it's time to start looking at other providers, if your provider doesn't offer firewall and IPS. It's a no brainer to add those services to your IT arsenal, if your provider offers managed firewall and intrusion protection. Fully protected, certified engineers who can help you stay running at peak optimization, they already have a team of highly trained, most importantly. They already have a massive investment in hardware and network resources. A high end provider already has 24/7/365 staffing. You are a step ahead of the game, if your provider offers managed services. The overlooked word for too many dedicated server providers is 'managed'.