Hotel Internet Security | Dealing With Cyber Crime

June 23rd, 2011

According to a 2011 Global Survey Report released by Trustwave SpiderLabs, one in ten of the data breaches that Trustwave investigated in 2010 happened in the hotel industry.  

Hotel Internet Security hacking that leads to credit fraud seems to be as easy and becoming increasingly common. Point of sale devices are vulnerable; there’s huge volume of credit card transactions; and credit card information is retained for reservations and loyalty programs.

Unsecured hotel wireless networks at hotels have also proven to be an ideal place for hackers to commit a variety of other crimes. In many states across the country, hackers staying at hotels or parked nearby have used the anonymity of hotel wireless networks to download illegal content.

Guests looking to use their hotel’s wireless Internet may face another security threat.  In 2010, The CBS Early Show had an ethical hacker set up a fake WiFi access point at a New York City hotel, calling it “Best Free Public WiFi.” Before long, dozens of unsuspecting wireless device users tried to log on. When an unsuspecting hotel guest connects to a rogue WiFi access point like that, his sensitive financial information can be harvested by a hacker.

Remember, staying at a nice hotel with good security doesn’t guarantee that your financial information will be safe from hackers.

What is Network Monitoring?

May 30th, 2011

The term Network Monitoring describes the use of a system that constantly monitors a computer network for slow or failing systems and that notifies the network administrator in case of outages via email, pager or other alarms.  Some extend this definition to include not only monitoring but also monitoring the performance and usage of a network. 

There are very few businesses of today that does not use a network of some kind.  Network monitoring is about maintaining the overall integrity of the network.  The components of the network need to be monitored to make sure they are working properly.  Involving, checking on both the hardware and the software that help make up the functioning network.  With proper network monitoring, problems can be spotted early on and steps can be taken to correct issues before they have a chance to cause major problems. 

The thing to remember is that this process is all about taking good care of one of your core resources for making money. You want to make sure all the components of the network are functioning at their most efficient levels. Setting up and following a regular strategy of network monitoring and maintenance will help you achieve this goal and keep the level of efficiency and productivity at a reasonable level.

Network Monitoring for Hotels

April 12th, 2011

If a business has a wifi connection, then it needs some type of network monitoring system. When connections are lost or any other problem happens, managers need to be notified as soon as possible. The sooner the problem is taken care of the sooner you can get back to running your business and increasing profits.

Hotel Network Monitoring

 

Millions, or perhaps even billions of people travel every year. These travelers, seeking the comforts of home, may be traveling to do business or just on simple family vacations. Either way, they are seeking hotels with some type of WiFi Internet connection. Checking to see if a hotel provides Internet service, paid or free, has become a common practice for online bookers.

After going through all of the trouble to find a wonderful hotel and then just when you are about to settle down for the night with a cup of coffee and do some Internet surfing your connection fails. Now we have a very angry guest on our hands demanding the Internet be fixed immediately or discount their room; as they reach into their pocket and begin to pull out their cell phone and tweet to their 1 million followers on the service they have received at your hotel.

From a scenario as this, we can quickly see the importance of having a network monitoring system for hotels. Managers have to be informed and ready to respond to network problems as they happen in order to compete in such a competitive market as the hotel industry.