Four Things You Should Know About Securing Your Small Business
As a Small Business (SBs) you’re at greater risk from hackers, malware and other security threats.
You’ve heard the news before: “Data breach”, “Small vendor used in big attack!” Small Businesses are under increasing online attacks from cyber criminals. They are used frequently as a stepping stone to a bigger target such as the big enterprises they conduct business with. In fact, targeted attacks on SBs account for over 30% of all targeted attacks. While still less than those targeted at enterprises, the numbers are growing and other attacks forms are increasing.
As a small business, the risk to your overall livelihood is much greater than the typically more protected enterprise. With less protection in place and less cushion or IT resources to help your business recover from a breach, for an SB, an attack can mean the difference between success and failure.
Security updates often arrive too late but you can be proactive
We all get them- those software and system updates that offer critical patches against security threats. But did you know that these patches only come after malware and other security incidents have occurred?
The time between the identification of malware and the patch can range from weeks to months; leaving otherwise unprotected systems vulnerable until the patch is released. Attackers often wreak havoc during the period leading up to a fix from the vendor to address the problem. The top five threats in 2013* that leveraged vulnerabilities like these had 19 days of total exposure and took an average of 4 days to patch.
Without a protection system that is both proactive and thorough, that means millions of opportunities for your company to fall victim–losing business-critical information, productivity, and money. Keeping your computer and software continuously updated can be the first line of defense against unwanted intrusions so ensure all critical updates have been installed.
You can have complete protection on limited resources
Just because you’re a small business doesn’t mean forgoing necessary online protections. With easy-to-implementand easy-to-use security offerings that are designed for small business owners, it is easy to get the protection enjoyed by larger enterprises without the need for a team of IT staff to manage it. The availability of subscription-based services also mean that pricing is more affordable and easier to budget for. And, because adding users can typically be done at any time – scalable security solutions address the needs of a growing business over time.
Not all security products are created equal
Small Businesses should look for security products that outperform in three key areas:
- Ease-of-use: Security products that are easy to install and use allow SBs to focus on running their businesses, not on running software.
- Speed: An effective security product should work fast to complete scans without noticeable impact to a user’s computer or system resources.
- Effectiveness: While speed is important, speed at the cost of effectiveness is a problem. A high-performing security solution should pro-actively protect against all known and unknown threats without impacting daily business functions.
*Data points sourced from: Symantec Internet Security Threat Report, Vol. 19, April 2014