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Security threats don't discriminate by size. Ask the small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) whose systems have been infected by viruses, stormed by botnets, or compromised by key-loggers implanted in surreptitiously planted spyware. Where enterprise-scale companies can tap their correspondingly large IT staffs and budgets to strengthen their defenses, SMBs are forced to strike a careful balance between saving and spending on security.
It's a difficult position to be in, especially given the evolving threat landscape. As SMBs know first-hand, security exploits are growing in scale, sophistication, and sheer variety. Just consider some of the dangers they're exposed to on a daily basis:
Spyware, which security experts estimate infects nine out of ten computers connected to the Internet, and which puts confidential data at risk while slowing system performance.
Bots, rogue scripts secretly running on individual machines, which cybercriminals then pool together in botnets, using the combined processing power to launch massive denial of service (DoS) attacks and spam blasts. At its height, the infamous Storm botnet was estimated to include as many as 50 million computers worldwide.
Proxy anonymizers, simple open-source scripts that employees can use to hide their computer from the network in order to surf to sites that are officially off-limits, like Facebook, MySpace, or those featuring inappropriate content.
Communications protocols like instant messaging (IM) and peer-to-peer (P2), which run outside monitored e-mail applications and thus raise the risk of data leakage.
Malware that might find its way onto the laptops of users who log in from unprotected public wireless networks—and that then works its way into company systems when the employee plugs that laptop in at the office.
Simply put, SMBs face no shortage of security concerns—which have a way of translating into concerns over performance, productivity, and regulatory noncompliance as well. And none of these are desirable when for many SMBs the Web is the lifeblood of their business.
Solution providers no doubt have heard their share of stories from customers whose security has been breached—and who are looking for technology that can bolster their defenses without breaking the budget. What does that mean specifically?
- Simplicity: Easy installation and management are essential when staffing is modest. And once it's in place, a security solution should be equally easy to update and customize.
- Affordability: SMBs don't have the financial resources for an outsized solution they can't take full advantage of; what they need is something that leverages existing investments and expertise while ensuring a quick payback.
- Speed: SMBs can't afford lengthy waits as security settings and policies are established; they need a solution that goes to work right away—preserving productivity while improving protection.
- Functionality: Multifunction capability that delivers comprehensive protection against complex threats is critical for SMBs; this introduces the efficiencies they need even as they address their most dangerous vulnerabilities.
The good news is that technology meeting these criteria is available. But not all of it is alike. Solution providers who want to ensure a lasting relationship with their SMB customers would be wise to examine the options—keeping in mind the special challenges that SMBs face.
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