For Iowans, security is out of their hands

As the fictitious Dr. Ian Malcolm said in Jurassic Park, “Life finds a way.” So, too, do computer viruses and other malicious programs. Even customers equipped with security software find a way to leave themselves vulnerable.

That's why Iowa Telecom has partnered with SecurityCoverage. The service provider didn't need a recent Computing Technology Industry Association report to tell them human error, not system weaknesses, is the leading cause of serious security breaches. They only had to listen to their customers.

“They've heard enough about viruses and spyware to know these things are out there,” said Greg Forsyth, data product manager for Iowa Telecom, “but they just don't know how to protect themselves against it.”

Problems stem from what Forsyth calls a cycle of destruction. Customers get new PCs with trial software protection, then, due to cost or lapse of memory, they let it expire. Trouble starts then. And in many rural areas, there aren't always places to take infected PCs.

“Lots of things can happen with your computer when it gets out of date that makes you vulnerable,” Forsyth said. “So we partnered with SecurityCoverage to find a solution that would give customers a better experience with our Internet service and protect them ongoing without a lot of hassle.”

SecurityCoverage manages installation, maintenance and updating of security safeguards. Its SecureIT Plus service, which is sold at around $4.95 per month — removes and blocks viruses, spyware, and adware, while optimizing hard drives and installing Microsoft operating system updates.

“Customers will always find a way to put themselves at risk, so SecurityCoverage looked at how they put themselves in that position, took the process out of their hands and made it automatic,” Forsyth said.

CONSUMER REPORTS' 2006 STATE OF THE NET SURVEY:

26%
didn't have antivirus software installed.