What every SMB needs to know about fighting cyber crime

A layered approach is necessary to protect against a plurality of security threats

Cyber crime is a silently growing pandemic to which companies find themselves increasingly susceptible. The loss of revenue that results from attacks can cause irreparable damage, but while their security issues are often as complex as larger companies', small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs) often do not have access to the resources, budgets and expertise to confront the challenge as effectively.

A significant portion of SMBs are neglecting to protect their networks and data. A Dell study of 1,425 SMBs worldwide revealed that 33 per cent lack even basic anti-virus protection, and a huge 47 per cent do not back up their desktop PCs.

Since no single technology can protect against all security threats, it is crucial to take a multilayered approach that fits your unique environment, and enables proactive and reactive IT security.

After all, investing in security technologies is cheaper than the cost of mitigating a breach once it has happened.

This layering technique is best addressed as four separate, but overlaying, solution areas:

• Network security
Unified threat management (UTM) devices can form a robust part of a layered security solution, integrating a full suite of advanced network security services into a single appliance. UTMs - typically hardware devices - contain firewall, content filtering, VPN and intrusion detection technologies, and are designed for easy deployment with no need for dedicated IT support.

• End point security
"End point" refers to devices that can attach to your network and carry harmful security threats. With today's proliferation of portable devices, networks can no longer be seen as closed, unified entities, and covering network end points is crucial to the security of any business.

• User security
Even with comprehensive security solutions in place, it is
crucial to remember security problems can be caused by your employees.
Restricting what users on your network can and cannot access helps keep out hackers. By requiring users to authenticate into your network - whether it's a wired Windows Domain using Active Directory, a SQL Server or a wireless router - you can keep tabs on who is accessing what and when they can access it, allowing you to maintain control.

• Security services
Security services are often seen as the glue holding a comprehensive security strategy together, filling in gaps in resource, expertise and time. They enable SMBs to achieve their regulatory compliance and lower IT costs by offloading day-to-day security monitoring, management and remediation to a trusted security services provider.