For some home-based projects, such as painting a room, organizing a garage, or installing a shelf, the do-it-yourself (DIY) trend method is alive and well. But there is a point when a homeowner will call in an expert when the task becomes too complex or time-consuming to be accomplished alone.
Many realize that failure to engage someone with more experience usually results in wasted time, added expense and possible injury. The security of your corporate network is no different. The DIY approach to protecting your company’s data and navigating through its many challenges can also result in wasted time, added expense and injury to the network.
For small and medium-sized businesses, the burden of installing, patching, and maintaining hardware and software-based security solutions can be both time consuming and costly. Because the complexity and frequency of attacks continue to accelerate, most companies struggle to keep up. IT staff at many SMBs believe they’ve got things adequately covered with security software installed on the client and at the network perimeter. Unconsciously, these IT teams are adopting a"wait and see" approach, hoping their network doesn’t get breached and cause serious damage to their company’s business and reputation.
In a May 2010 study, the Aberdeen Group indicated that organizations using cloud-delivered security saw a significant improvement in malware incidents, website compromises, data loss and data exposure, security related downtime, and audit deficiencies.
Moreover, as companies struggle to keep up, the threat landscape continues to evolve. Attacks are becoming much more sophisticated and targeted. A breach of your company’s network security using cleverly designed emails is no longer the typical attack vector. The new frontier is through blended threats that employ social engineering techniques, zero-day attacks, and advanced persistent threats. Facebook and other social networking sites, for example, have blurred the lines between our work and personal lives. And this blurred space has a whole new threat avenue for attackers to gain access to the corporate and personal information we exchange on these sites. Keeping up with the most recent routes of attack is no small task, especially for a smaller business whose staff may be quite small.
As a result of the ever-changing threat landscape and the consistent allocation of IT and company resources on network security, the DIY approach has lost its appeal and effectiveness. Small and mid-sized companies, in particular, can’t afford to be network security experts, mitigating every attack and anticipating the next big threat. They have a business to run and managing security and preventing threats is not their focus. It’s a burden unjustly placed on the SMB, who often do not have the resources or inclination to manage the ongoing security challenge.
It shouldn’t have to be this way. Security should work for the SMB and not the other way around. It’s time for security vendors to assume a stronger, more active role in managing and maintaining the protection of their client’s networks.
There is good news, however. Just as threats have evolved, so has the industry’s ability to combat them through new and innovative cloud-based approaches. Cloud applications and cloud services have become so prevalent that companies, especially of small and medium size, are using them to streamline their business processes and reduce operating costs. Software as a Service (SaaS) applications provides businesses with CRM, payroll, HR, sales, accounting, and dozens of other critical solutions. SaaS applications reduce the headaches associated with purchasing, installing, and maintaining software on site. All upgrades, patches, and support are left to the cloud service provider. Businesses only pay for the services they need and use.
As small and medium-sized businesses look to simplify their security management through the elimination of hardware, reduced administration, and centralized management, the cloud is fast becoming the most viable alternative.
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Cloud-delivered services can dynamically grow or shrink based on the needs of the SMB and you only pay for what you need based on usage. Cloud-delivered security allows the SMB to focus on their business and abandon or reduce the DIY security approach.
The cloud also provides better protection for SMBs. In a May 2010 study, the Aberdeen Group indicated that organizations using cloud-delivered security saw a significant improvement in malware incidents, website compromises, data loss and data exposure, security related downtime, and audit deficiencies. The reason for these improvements is likely due to additional the cloud security layer where the vendor manages security software and definition file updates. The burden of staying on top of these activities is costly, time-consuming, and subject to operator error.
Cloud-delivered security means that an IT staff can stay ahead of emerging threats. As technology evolves so do the threats. You can be certain that whatever devices are being used by your employees, cybercriminals have their eye on how to exploit them.
The cloud eliminates the need to manage each device on your network. Consider the benefits of cloud security with your remote employees. Network traffic such as web application requests and email is instead routed through the cloud security service prior to allowing end user access. Therefore enforcing security and internet policies is a centralized and effective task via the cloud. Regardless of the devices attaching to your network (under the cloud security umbrella), they all must route their requests through the cloud security service to ensure safe access.
The cloud delivers SMBs cost savings, easier management, and better security for their network. Webroot has been helping organizations manage their complex levels of security for almost a decade and a half. As networks and the internet infrastructure have evolved, Webroot has been in lockstep providing leading-edge security solutions for small and medium-sized businesses. The layered security approach from Webroot provides SMBs critical coverage at the application, endpoint, data, and cloud layers. Webroot is accepting the mission to work for businesses of all sizes, not the other way around. To that end, the security company is leading the revolution in the cloud, providing comprehensive and affordable coverage through its cloud service.
Cloud-delivered security from Webroot ensures rapid and easy deployment, unlimited capacity, and guaranteed performance. Your IT staff can now focus on delivering applications and solutions to the user community instead of worrying about the next security breach. Sophisticated web and email security solutions from Webroot mean that your devices are protected when they route their web traffic through the cloud for fast inspection and compliance with your custom security policies.
The DIY approach to network security is being replaced by next-generation cloud protection from Webroot. The SaaS approach to web and email security means threats are blocked before they hit your network. Webroot has built the industry’s first true threat protection, policy management, and compliance solution for the SMB. Through a simple setup, a business can easily route its web application and email traffic through a Webroot data center for lightning-fast analysis and protection.
The SMB can now effectively shift the security burden to the experts whose sole focus and expertise is to protect your network. It’s time to let security work for you. It’s time to let the professionals manage the fundamental security layers of your network and let you get back to running your business. It’s time for Webroot.
