You have a million things on your plate and security is likely not at the top of the list. Of course it’s important, but you can’t be an expert in everything and you need to focus on what matters most – growing the business. That’s hard enough to do in this economy, but in an environment that is also rife with increasing security threats and compliance requirements is enough to make a business owner howl with frustration. How much security is enough security to keep your business and your customers safe? And how do you manage that security when you’re really much more interested in growing the business?
The fact is that cybercriminals are now focusing their attention on small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs) because they are typically easier targets than large, multinational corporations. They know you don’t have time to deal with security, so they are betting you didn’t get that far down on your “to do” list. Plus they are hoping you weren’t smart enough to call an expert consultant or partner to handle it for you. SMBs become an easy target with valuable data because many of you deliver services and products to larger companies and governments, so it’s likely you have some of their data as well.
With the rapid growth of viruses, phishing scams, and high-profile data breaches you must take proactive steps to protect your business in order to stay ahead of the bad guys. How much security you need depends on the size and nature of your business. And how you manage it depends on whether you prefer to lease or buy, managing it on-premises with your own IT staff or outsourcing it to a service provider with IT expertise.
Cloud-based security offerings are perfect for growing businesses. By effectively “leasing” your security solutions from a service provider, you won’t ever pay for more than what you need, can scale your security needs as your business expands and seasonally contracts, can access world-class security in a cost-effective way, and can focus your internal resources where you want them – on driving new projects that grow your business.
From a hacker perspective, there are only two kinds of businesses – those that have been breached and those that are about to be. If you’ve been breached or a victim of fraud, chances are you have rethought your assumptions about what security solutions to buy, and how to implement, maintain and manage them. If you haven’t been a victim yet, now is your chance to be proactive and prevent it.
Your existing security requirement may be to sustain and/or enhance protection against malware, spyware, spam, and a myriad of other intrusions and vulnerabilities. Your business requirements however are focused on efficiency, performance, and seamless protection, with less time, effort and investment on your part. You can get the best of both worlds with a cloud-based solution that can grow with your business and provide the security you need without the management headaches that often accompany a major IT project. And if you want to try out some options, check out the 30-day free trials of McAfee’s Suites (from SaaS to on-premises suites covering email, Web, desktops, devices, and mobility) to protect your most valuable asset – your data.
By Martin Ward
