Keep Your Small and Medium Businesses Safe From Cyber Threats

Most small businesses are staffed by small teams, which means they usually don’t have the resources to dedicate to things like IT and cybersecurity. But when 31% of organizations have experienced a cyber attack, it’s something that needs to be taken seriously.

Having the right tools in place ensures you can focus on the task at hand while getting the protection you need. Having a first line of defense you can trust gives you peace of mind when every minute counts.

Cyber security should be at the forefront of every SMB owner’s mind, which is why Shaw Business is dedicated to helping businesses of any size protect themselves with tools ranging from a Layer 7 firewall, to secure VPNs that control access to your network no matter where your employees are logging in. Learn more about the cyber threats you face, and the solutions available to protect your small business.

Threats

Malware

Malware is software intended to cause damage. This can include anything from spyware, keyloggers, and other phishing tools. Network breaches of this sort can be catastrophic to your business, and put your clients’ sensitive information at risk. This kind of software enters into your system through actions as simple as an employee clicking a link sent to their corporate email account. Without the right enterprise-grade technology backing your system, these breaches are all-too common.

Insecure portable devices

Since the pandemic popularized distributed work, more information is passing through portable devices like personal laptops, USB sticks, and external hard drives. Without cloud-managed security it can be hard to keep track of where all your information is being stored and shared, meaning it’s vulnerable to theft. Depending on your industry, sensitive information also carries with it compliance regulations.

Hacking

The less security you have in place, the easier it is for hackers to take advantage of vulnerabilities. Factors like authentication are weak points hackers like to exploit, as well as sharing information over unsecured wireless connections. The larger your company, the more potential points of entry to your systems through weak passwords, internet-exposed ports, and end uses with privileged access that may not be required for the role.

Solutions

DNS-layer security

Cyber threats are sophisticated and ever-evolving, which means your security network must always be a step ahead. Solutions like Shaw Business’s Cyber Protect improves security visibility, protects users on and off the network, and employs threat-detecting cloud-based technology that is always adapting. DNS security shields your data from all forms of malware, phishing, and bots from around the world. Using statistical and machine-learning models, DNS uncovers new attacks staged online before they get to you. It grows as your company does, and learns in the background so you can feel protected even as your organization becomes more complex.

Firewalls

Today’s businesses face cyber threats that past generations could never even have imagined. That’s why next generation firewall technology is necessary. SmartSecurity from Shaw Business gives you a Layer 7 firewall ensuring you control access to your network right down to the application level. This multi-level firewall employs global threat intelligence to detect, contain, and prevent network breaches in real time.

Access and authentication

With distributed work more popular than ever, you can’t always trust the connections of staff working from anywhere. A Virtual Private Network (VPN) replicates the security of an in-office intranet, no matter where your team is logging in. Users of Shaw Business’s SmartSecurity can also add Smart Remote Office to their arsenal, if a VPN seems right for your team. If you want to get even pickier—and you should—you can set network policies for both employees and customers and choose which users, devices, or even apps can send and receive data.

Worried about certain types of content putting your system at risk? You can limit access to them with SmartSecurity. Once you know who’s allowed in and how much authentication is required to access your systems, let your virtual bouncer do the heavy lifting for you.

Reporting

Real time reporting is one of the keys to maintaining good control over your cybersecurity. SmartSecurity from Shaw Business provides the ultimate visibility through its integrated Meraki dashboards. These dashboards don’t only give you a bird’s eye view of your operation, but allow you to drill down into the granular details, giving you up to the minute overviews of your entire system.

With the right technology behind you, you can rest easy knowing your platform, data, and client trust is protected. Learn more about Shaw Business’s products, Cyber Protect and SmartSecurity.