Image gallery: 10 essential (and free!) security downloads for Windows

Securing your network begins at the gateway, also called the perimeter, to keep unauthorized users, viruses and malicious code from entering your systems. Deploying multilayer technologies is your first line of defense. With the mobility of employees and the ease with which external devices can be brought in and out of a network, continuing to build your security plan for network servers and clients is a must. Fortunately, there is much that organizations can do to protect themselves from attacks - internal and external. One of the key facets of a successful security strategy is protecting the servers that run critical applications and house so much of your essential data. Having the right policies, procedures and server configurations is critical.

There are more threats to your network security than ever before, and traditional defenses are falling behind. There's no such thing as absolute security, and there are no new, silver-bullet security solutions. However, many security technologies that have been around for years have evolved and can help you lower the risk of a successful attack.

The number of malicious attacks trying to get through your network gateway will likely increase every year, and the attacks are becoming more sophisticated. While perfect is unattainable, five basic areas of defense - your firewall, intrusion prevention and detection, antivirus and antispyware, Internet filtering and network access control - will go a long way to protect you.

Management wants to know the return on investment. But when it comes to security, there are more practical and realistic ways to decide what to spend.

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