From time-robbing spam and crippling viruses to hijacking hackers, there's no shortage of enemies ready to invade your company's wireless network. Fortunately, there are some cost-effective and powerful solutions that will help keep these malicious intruders at bay.

It is no surprise that many companies are adopting wireless technology as a cost-effective way for employees to communicate and share data efficiently while on the road. That's because a wireless network can give small businesses access to information wherever and whenever you need it.

But with that increased accessibility comes increased security challenges. The good news is there are several new security software and hardware options on the market that have been designed to give even the most cautious business owner piece of mind.

Sound expensive? It's not. And you can implement these security measures with minimal technical support. That means you won't need a full-time IT manager to make your company's wireless network as secure as it can be.

Outlined below are a number of basic steps that can help protect your company from common vulnerabilities. Dell can help you further determine the most secure and cost-effective ways to combat your company's vulnerabilities.

Security software suites

Installing and keeping a current version of security software on all your employees' computers is a necessary first step to any company network. This software protects against viruses, worms, spyware and other threats that are transmitted over the Internet, as well as files imported from USB keys, instant messages and other means.

Another smart step is to set up your network in a way that enables you to view and manage all of your company's computers from one central location. This step, which you can achieve by using solutions such as Dell's OpenManage Network Manager, will add confidence that all your PCs have the same level of protection.

The firewall

A firewall is a protective barrier that prevents unwanted access to or from your company network. The firewall scans all traffic passing in and out of your network and blocks unauthorized messages, intruders and viruses. Firewalls can be either hardware appliances or software applications. In a wireless network, a hardware firewall is typically installed in the network's access point (most often, the router). In fact, the leading routers on the market come with a hardware firewall already built in. Meanwhile, software firewalls are often built into the market's top security software suites. The bottom line? Using a high quality router along with top security software will ensure your network has the appropriate level of security and flexibility.

Data is most vulnerable to theft when it it's in transmission. As a protection against theft, data can be encrypted - scrambled in such a way that it's worthless to any unauthorized person who accesses it. If your company conducts transactions with customers over the Internet or other public network and/or your home office communicates with employees out in the field over a public network, you will need a "secure server." A secure server will enable you to encrypt communications from the server to your customers' and or field team's computers and accept encrypted information back from them. If you already have a server, you can make it secure by installing strong encryption software on it. If you're in the market for a server, you should seek out those that feature encryption adapters.

Wireless security protocols

With Media Access Control (MAC) address filtering technology, you can control access to your company's network on the network's gateway, which in most cases is a router. It serves as a security layer that provides computers with a unique address on a 802.11 network and often comes standard with the router. With MAC address filtering, the network will only recognize - and allow access to - users with an approved MAC address, a code that's unique to every mobile wireless card installed inside a desktop, laptop or other wireless device. If your router/access point doesn't recognize the device's MAC address, then the person using that device can't get into your network.

On its own, MAC address filtering is more than capable of keeping unwanted outsiders from gaining access to your network. By combining MAC address filtering with Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA), another protocol built into most routers, you can further increase your network's security. In fact, the newly developed WPA protocol, which is standard equipment on all Dell wireless devices, features:

• Strong encryption to ensure secure transmissions over network
• Password protection to keep out unauthorized users Packet integrity to ensure wireless transmissions haven't been tampered with

A secure, wireless network can be a powerful tool for small businesses. It's a fact that companies and employees are more productive when they have better and faster access to information, and - with the right combination of security measures - that's exactly what your wireless network can do for you.