In this day and age, where IT environments, especially in companies, are under constant attack by unauthorized access, it is imperative to protect a business’s sensitive information more than ever. Adding to the frustration of business owners is the fact that computer system threats (which can affect a wide range of devices such as desktop computers, laptops, smartphones, tablet computers, etc.) come in a variety of different forms, and most of these impending threats usually don’t manifest themselves until it’s too late and sensitive info from your company or business has already been maliciously accessed or collected by hackers.
Here are four reasons why companies need to invest in business security.
1. You Can’t Stop What You Can’t See
This means that if you have vulnerabilities in your company’s IT network, you won’t be able to stop breaches, or you won’t be able to nip in the bud malicious attempts of outside sources to access your business’s sensitive data. The solution? Tapping a reputable IT services provider to provide you with a Vulnerability Management Service (VMS) solution tailor-made for your company’s needs.
So what is a Vulnerability Management Service or VMS? In a nutshell, it is an all-in-one service that helps businesses identify, classify, remediate, and mitigate vulnerabilities. It can also be described as the discovery, reporting, prioritization, and response to vulnerabilities in a company’s IT network.
Does your company need a VMS? Let’s answer that question with another question: how secure is your data from internal and external threats? You can’t stop what you can’t see, so isn’t it better to have peace of mind that your data is safe and secure from any malicious attacks? The answer to that is tapping a reputable IT solutions provider and signing up for a VMS.
Any reputable IT solutions provider will be able to provide you with a Vulnerability Management Service that provides network discovery and mapping, asset prioritization, vulnerability analysis, and reporting and remediation tracking according to the business risk that your company can potentially face. A VMS that’s worth considering for your company should be beyond just a simple scan and report; it should include trained security professionals analyzing the vulnerabilities and prioritizing for remediation activities based on a thorough understanding of your business requirements and risk areas.
2. Free Antivirus Software Won’t Just Cut It for Businesses
Second in this list of four reasons why companies need to invest in business security: free antivirus software just won’t cut it for businesses. Why? Here are just some of the reasons: a free antivirus is not licensed for business use, it needs frequent manual updates, it is less effective, and the business will not get customer support.
It goes without saying that for businesses, it is important to have a centralized management of your computers, and this includes software as well—including antivirus software. A paid antivirus, which is something that a reputable IT service provider can give you, can easily be updated on every computer.
Another reason to go the paid route is that a free antivirus is not as good as its paid counterpart in detecting new threats. In the end, while it might be tempting to a business owner to use a free antivirus, a business-end antivirus is better at keeping a company’s IT infrastructure healthy and secure.
3. You Will Need a Proactive and Real-Time Firewall Management Service
Why? Because with a managed firewall, your IT department need not spend a lot of time in taking care of day-to-day firewall management, including upgrades, patches, system configuration, and other administration tasks. This will free up your IT department to focus on other more important things.
A reputable IT services provider should have a proactive and real-time firewall management service that includes the following:
• 24/7 Monitoring
• Design & Implementation
• Day-to-day Firewall Operations
• Log reviews & reporting
4. Your Company Will Need a Good Patch Management Service
Last but not least in this list of four reasons why companies need to invest in business security is having a good patch management service.
Consider that new vulnerabilities that hit operating systems and software are constantly being identified. In fact, the battle with viruses, bugs, and defects is endless and will not be stopping anytime soon. So what does this all mean for your business? We hate to keep repeating it, but it bears repeating nevertheless: you will need a good patch management service.
A reputable IT solutions provider will be able to provide you with a patch management service that is scalable, easy to use, and covers a wide variety of vendor software that you can use for your business’s systems.
In addition, a trusted IT solutions provider should provide regular monthly patching of all critical and security patches, as well as timeframes for service-pack and other product upgrades. This can include many third-party software products.
In the end, this, coupled with the vulnerability management service, will ensure that your sites are protected against threats as they are identified.