While 48% of all SMBs have experienced a cyberattack, 43% of them struggle to understand what cybersecurity solutions are required, according to the Cybersecurity for SMBs: Navigating Complexity and Building Resilience report from Sage Group. That begs the question: Does your business have the right tools to stay protected?
Statistics about cybersecurity can be overwhelming and depressing but don't worry. We have some tips on what you need to focus on to build a solid cybersecurity foundation for your organization.
Exigent always advises against tackling cybersecurity without expert guidance, but that doesn't mean businesses should be totally in the dark about cybersecurity solutions and how they work. So, let's discuss which solutions are most critical and outline what role each plays. Ultimately, your business will need to work with an experienced tech partner to find the right mix of foundational and advanced cybersecurity solutions to safeguard your operations and reputation, but let's consider education a first step.
Understanding Cybersecurity Essentials
To start, there are some foundational security solutions every business should have in place. Let's walk through them:
Firewalls and Antivirus Software
A firewall is a network security device that monitors traffic into and from your network. It allows or blocks traffic based on a defined set of security rules. Firewalls help protect against unauthorized access and basic malware threats.
Antivirus software scans your IT environment for malicious software such as malware. These products can scan both automatically and manually. To be effective, they require proper configuration and ongoing optimization.
Data Backups
Often overlooked as a security solution, data backups ensure your organization can weather any type of disruption with the least lost time. With regular, secure backups, your business can access locked or lost data quickly, lessening the impact of ransomware and other cyber attacks. Effective backups leverage redundancy, often using a combination of on-premises and cloud-based backup storage to protect data more effectively.
Endpoint Security Solutions
Endpoint security protects devices that connect to your network, including laptops, workstations, and tablets. This solution has become increasingly important with an increasing number of people working remotely. With the dependency on mobile devices, traditional perimeter security solutions have mostly given way to endpoint security since access to business networks is no longer limited to brick-and-mortar offices.
Spam and Email Security Tools
Spam emails are unwanted emails that often contain social engineered threats such as phishing attempts. By stopping spam before it reaches the network, this security solution greatly reduces the opportunity for human error – a single click on an email link can deliver a dangerous cyber attack to your IT environment, often undetected. Spam filters are part of a larger email security stance that uses safelisting, blacklisting, quarantining and antivirus scanning.
Risk assessment
Perhaps the most often overlooked but effective foundational security tool is a risk assessment. Without an assessment, your organization has no idea what solutions are in place, what is working, and what is not, where gaps are, and even what endpoints are covered, and which are not. With a risk assessment, you can start to close obvious holes in your security net even while planning a more advanced strategy.
Want small cybersecurity steps you can take right now? Download our checklist
Layering on Advanced Solutions for Today's Threats
Once the basic security solutions are in place, a solid cybersecurity roadmap includes plans for advanced solutions tailored for your particular needs. For example, if your organization operates in a highly regulated industry, you may need additional tools to meet those standards.
Cyber Threat Detection Strategies
Threat detection and response (TDR) is less of a solution than a cybersecurity process where continuous monitoring identifies and diffuses potential threats more quickly, stopping those attacks before significant damage is done. Organizations can use tools such as SIEM to identify and mitigate risks in real time—taking an active and aggressive approach to cybersecurity. TDR relies on an integrated set of solutions including security and information event management (SEIM), threat detection technology, the use of outsourced security operations centers (SOC) for 24/7/365 expert response, and more. This approach typically requires either a highly skilled managed services partner or in-house expertise.
Encryption
Protecting data through encryption is an advanced cybersecurity solution that ensures your information is secure inside your IT environment, when it is moving between devices, and when it is stored and accessed in the cloud. Encryption scrambles data, with a secure key required for decoding - providing an additional layer of protection from cyber criminals.
Multifactor Authentication
Another way to secure your data is by requiring multifactor authentication, a process most people are familiar with as it is used with most online banking accounts, hosted software solutions, and even your Google account. Also called 2FA, this secondary confirmation of your identity helps guard against stolen passwords and other common tactics.
Advanced compliance and vulnerability testing
For any organization subject to regulatory compliance standards, basic cybersecurity solutions will not suffice. Instead, your business likely needs a cybersecurity partner that can deploy and manage integrated security solutions that meet privacy demands. As part of that, your organization will likely be required to have ongoing risk assessments, a comprehensive incident response plan, and regularly scheduled vulnerability and penetration testing that actively seeks out gaps in cybersecurity, uncovering those concerns before cyber criminals find them.
Common Mistakes Businesses Make with Cybersecurity Solutions
Now that we've defined cybersecurity solutions, let's talk about common mistakes that organizations make when they start developing a cybersecurity strategy.
- Choosing Cost Over Quality: Opting for cheap or free cybersecurity tools without ensuring their reliability leaves gaps in protection. These tools rarely provide reliable coverage, often lack vendor support, and likely don't integrate with other tools easily.
- Overlooking Managed Services: Businesses often attempt to handle cybersecurity in-house without leveraging managed services that provide expert oversight. One benefit of managed services is access to highly trained specialists whose job demands staying updated on current threats and solutions. In-house IT hires tend to be generalists and don't have time for defense at depth security strategies. Additionally, MSPs offer managed IT security solutions that they have already developed best practices around, further accelerating your security improvements.
- Ignoring Employee Training: Failing to implement cybersecurity awareness training leads to human errors like phishing clicks, and leaves you without the strongest security defense in your arsenal. With security awareness training, your team understands what threats look like and know how to respond when a problem occurs.
- Lack of Comprehensive Endpoint Security: Overlooking devices like smartphones, laptops, and IoT tools creates vulnerable entry points for cyberattacks.
- Not Adapting to Remote Work: Similarly, businesses often fail to adjust cybersecurity strategies for hybrid and remote workforces, increasing risks from unsecured devices and public networks.
- Overlooking Cyber Insurance: It's often said that a security breach is not a matter of if, but when. Having cyber liability insurance protects your organization from the high cost of cyber crime and also provides additional expert guidance on security best practices.
While we can help educate you about security solutions and must-have policies, nearly every business should leverage expert support when it comes to deploying the best cybersecurity solutions for business. Don't lie awake at night and worry about your network, leave your IT security to us.
