A Firewall Is No Longer Enough - Why You Need Robust End-To-End Security

The threat from cyber-crime continues to grow, and every business which is online is at risk - no matter how large or small.  Statistics from 2018 are compiled, and they aren't pretty.

• An internet-connected computer is attacked every 39 seconds.
• 20% of businesses will suffer at least a full day's downtime due to ransomware
• 61% of SMBs have faced some form of cyber-attack

It used to be that a good firewall was enough to keep you safe, but that's just not the case any more.  Now, that's more like the bare minimum - and you should be looking to upgrade your security as soon as possible because they won't be enough if you get targeted.

These are some of the other options you should be looking into, to avoid being a cybercrime victim in 2019 and beyond.

Four More Ways To Protect Your Business From Cyber-Attack

1 - Stronger endpoint security

Endpoint security goes beyond simple antivirus software.  Leading brands like Cisco and Sophos offer robust endpoint security systems which oversee all devices connecting to your network, and watch for malicious activity.  Anti-malware efforts are part of this, but they are also "smart" systems, monitoring the devices for any signs of tampering or unusual operation.  After all, they might have picked up a potentially unauthorized application outside your network too.

In particular, we recommend Sophos' Intercept X, the world's leading anti-ransomware solution.  No other solution comes close to Intercept X for reducing the threat from ransomware and that's one of the biggest threats to SMBs today.

2 - Cisco Umbrella

Another product we strongly recommend is Cisco Umbrella, a cloud-connected gateway that leverages the knowledge of Cisco's own malware investigation team - one of the best bodies of its type on the planet.  Umbrella can recognize a huge array of malicious endpoints, preventing connections to those sites from happening at all, as well as maintaining up-to-the-minute databases of malware definitions.  Umbrella is anti-malware service taken to the next level, and performs far beyond standard endpoint security packages.

3 - Social Engineering Awareness Testing and Training 

An unfortunate fact of modern cyber-security is that even the most advanced, state-of-the-art, spared-no-expense security setup can be rendered completely useless by a single instance of human error.   Employees continue to be the #1 source of security breaches within their companies, and most of the time, it's non-malicious.  It's just an "oops."

You can help mitigate that by bringing in specialists in social engineering to test your workforce, and help them be more aware of all the ways that they can prevent intrusions.  If you aren't investing in workforce security training in parallel to hardware security investments, you're leaving yourself open to attack.

4 - Live Penetration Testing

The ultimate test of whether your security is sufficient is simply to see whether someone can break in - but do you really want to wait until a bad guy tries to attack?  That's why more and more SMBs are investing in live penetration testing.

In a penetration test, legitimate security experts attempt to breach your security, using the same methods and tools a cybercriminal would.  The difference, of course, being that this is 100% safe and controlled, and no actual harm will be done.  At the end, they'll tell you how your security performed, and offer suggestions for what other measures -if any- are needed to keep you safe.

Hummingbird Wants To Protect Businesses Of All Sizes

We recognize that strong security absolutely cannot be the sole province of large businesses, and we put a major emphasis on putting great security into the hands of SMBs.  To learn more, or schedule a consultation, just contact us.