What are the reasons why companies should invest in business security in 2019? Perhaps it’s important to first look at why business security should be taken seriously before we dive deeper into the specific reasons why companies should invest in it this year. The influential Wired magazine in an article, posted this question: “What if skilled, persistent attackers targeted critical infrastructures like the water supply or electric grid, rather than a Hollywood studio pushing a silly movie? What if they targeted your business?”
So why the Hollywood reference? The question was posed in a context wherein the article writer says that “today’s security landscape feels more like a James Bond movie than normal life.” And the writer has a point. He adds: “corporate security teams are on notice. They face a wide range of threat actors, from nation-state cyber espionage to highly skilled patient attackers for hire, down to home gamers and nuisance attackers. Corporate IT and security teams are feeling the pressure of this dynamic threat landscape. They know they’re being targeted and that they are vulnerable. A CISOs challenge today is incredibly difficult.”
In addition, American business magazine Forbes, in an article, seems to agree: “Cybersecurity is no longer just a technology issue, it is a business one too. Gone are the days when companies could pass the headaches of cybersecurity to the IT department, as it has become more of a business issue too. This is especially important as businesses are more digitized, meaning they are exposed to an increasing number of threats if they do not manage the risk of security properly.”
The article further adds that “cybersecurity impacts businesses as a whole, not just IT departments. The types of threats businesses face are changing too. Hacking software is becoming more sufficient, increasing the impact that hackers can have on a business. Cyber hackers are moving to more sophisticated agendas such as espionage, disinformation, market manipulation and disruption of infrastructure, on top of previous threats such as data theft, extortion, and vandalism. Being able to mitigate these threats requires businesses to not only think of cybersecurity as a business risk but to act on this too. Successful protection of a company requires the business to think about what these cyber risks mean for the business as a whole and for its customers.”
Let’s take a deep dive and look at the reasons why companies should invest in business security in 2019. Read on.
1. Malicious attempts on your network are getting harder and harder to detect
In an article late last year, Forbes mentioned that “cybersecurity concerns will be a major topic in the boardroom and executive offices of every significant enterprise. Major data breaches suffered by leading firms across industries has struck fear into CEOs and other officers and board members that their company could be next. What’s more, partners, shareholders, and customers now seek to hold corporate leaders ultimately responsible, and that sentiment is only heightened internally within organizations.”
What’s worse is that in 2019, as hackers try to step up their game, they are making it harder and harder for companies to stop malicious cyber attacks. So what can businesses do about this? The most obvious solution is for companies to tap a reputable IT services provider that can give them reliable business security, especially a business security suite that includes a vulnerability management service.
So what is a vulnerability management service or VMS? Basically, 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.
Any reputable IT solutions provider will be able to provide you with a VMS 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 good VMS 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. Businesses will need more than free antivirus
Let’s state the obvious here, shall we: free antivirus software just won’t cut it for companies, regardless of the size. Obviously, a free antivirus is not licensed for business use, it will need frequent manual updates, it is less effective, and your company will not get the customer support you need. This the second reason why companies should invest in business security in 2019.
A paid antivirus can easily be updated on every computer. Also, a free antivirus will not be as good as its paid counterpart in detecting new threats. In the end, while it might be tempting to any company owner to use a free antivirus, a business-end antivirus is better at keeping a company’s IT infrastructure healthy and secure.
3. Your company needs a proactive and real-time firewall management service
With a managed firewall, your IT department will not need to spend a lot of time in taking care of day-to-day firewall management, including upgrades, patches, system configuration, and other administrative 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. And last but not the least of the reasons why businesses should invest in business security in 2019: will need a good patch management service
New threats that hit operating systems and software are constantly being identified. In fact, the battle with viruses, bugs, and defects isn’t going to stop soon, and this year particularly will be worse. So what does this all mean for your company? You will require a good patch management service.
A reputable IT solutions provider like NST IT Solutions can give you 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, NST will provide you with 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 company’s network and websites are protected against threats as they are identified.