Wading through tech-speak to know what you need for security software can be overwhelming. And meanwhile, you have a business to run. Here are a few key things you need to know about the importance of security software for small and mid-sized businesses, the benefits and your options as a small or mid-sized business owner.
What security software is and why it’s important for small businesses.
Security software is your computer’s or network’s defense against intrusion and unauthorized use of resources. Your need for effective security software as a small or mid-sized business is on the rise. According to a report by Keeper Security and the Ponemon Institute, 50 percent of small businesses have been breached in the past 12 months.
Small businesses are a key target for hackers, since they have more valuable data than the typical individual, but far less elaborate protections in place than a large corporation. In fact, studies show that a majority of small businesses are “underinsured” or “uninsured” when it comes to security software.
Losing your data permanently is the worst possibility. Endangering the data of your customers is another severe threat. But using security software comes with many additional benefits to keep your business strong, healthy and protected.
Security software keeps your data and system secure.
Security software keeps sensitive company and client data safe from attack from viruses and hackers. It also guards your system and applications from being lost or compromised due to system corruption, internal or external threats. Advanced security software can also leave an electronic trail to monitor internal use and flag threats of embezzlement or information breaches.
Security software protects your time and money.
As a business owner, you can easily comprehend the catastrophic financial loss that could be caused by a major security attack that compromises or destroys critical data. But your time is equally valuable. Security software that protects against malware and other “germs” keeps your system healthy and speedy, which protects your time. And when your security software proactively keeps bugs at bay, you won’t worry that you’re going to lose a whole day, multiple days or a week to restoring your system’s health. This can happen if over time your machine gets so debilitated by malware that you can no longer use it without a major cleanup.
Security software delivers peace of mind.
When you, your employees and your clients know you have a robust security system in place, you can communicate and share information with ease. You won’t have to worry that you or an employee will inadvertently open an attachment that contains a virus or other harmful code. The right security software also provides early warning alerts to detect potential intruders and let you know before they have the chance to do any damage. For example, it can send alerts about logins from unknown IP addresses or devices so that you can follow up.
Your security software options: Do it yourself, or get help from the experts.
There are a number of effective security software options on the market that let you handle security yourself. Some of them are free. But knowing which ones are safe, which ones work best, how much “insurance” you need and then finessing settings to work well for your unique business can be intimidating for a non-techie. And even the best antivirus, malware or web protection product is only as good as your memory to run regular scans. Countless times, we’ve had a client bring us a compromised computer to fix. When we dig deeper, we find that security software was loaded, but it wasn’t used properly. Security software won’t protect you if you don’t use it properly and keep it up-to-date.
Our Watchdog System Health Monitoring is designed to ensure your computer systems stay healthy, updated and bug-free. The basic version of WatchDog ($4/month/workstation) takes care of the keeping your hardware healthy and updated – first with performance thresholds related to CPU, hard disks, memory, and network and secondly with automated patching (updates) for Windows, Microsoft, Java, and Adobe as well as hardware driver updates. You’ll get e-mailed alerts, regular reports, and someone keeping an eye on your systems to make sure things remain “healthy”.
To address software security needs, upgrade to Premium Watchdog, which includes a security software called WebRoot SecureAnywhere. This provides anti-virus, anti-spyware, and web filtering. Also included in Premium Watchdog is backup to protect your critical data.
All WatchDog clients get free downtime notifications for routers, websites, and company networks. WatchDog clients also have free access to a remote ticketing system. This way, if a problem does arise, we can take a look remotely without you having to lug your machine to our office or even pick up the phone. Once you’re a WatchDog client, we can usually remotely diagnose what’s wrong and provide estimated costs for the fix, if applicable. Often, we can even perform the fix remotely once you’ve decided you want it done. This can be a huge time savings and bring peace of mind.
Protect your most valuable business assets against security threats and performance issues. Start your one-month free trial of WatchDog Systems Health Monitoring. To have security software included, choose Premium Watchdog.