• Computing assets: - Web threats seek to prevent access to or take advantage of computing assets such as desktops/file servers and network connection. Examples of threats include worms, Trojans, and bots.

• Employee assets: Web threats that distract or otherwise negatively impact employee productivity. Examples of threats include spyware/adware, spam, and phishing.

The Small Business Gap

For many small businesses owners a gap exists between the challenges they face and the solutions they have available to them because the most popular security solutions available on the market today are just repackaged enterprise solutions that are difficult to install, complicated to configure, and troublesome to maintain. The irony is these solutions are often highly priced.

Complexity is a particularly significant issue since small businesses often lack in-house or dedicated IT resources. Solution providers or value added resellers that service small businesses also prefer to spend less time dealing with inappropriate complex solutions and more time on high-value activities.

Bridging the Gap

Beyond rock-solid reliability, a truly worry-free security solution must be easy to implement and use, unobtrusive to end-users, and part of a support infrastructure that is able to resolve issues in a timely manner. Wrestling with inappropriate software that is not scaled to small business needs results in real direct and indirect costs for businesses. Direct costs include billable hours by a technician performing unnecessary tasks such as installing or upgrading, monitoring or configuring and running scans. If these tasks are performed by an in-house employee, indirect costs are incurred as they are unable to spend their time on other higher-value tasks that help drive the business forward.

Four Questions to Consider When Deciding on a security Solution For Your Business

1. Implementation: How many actions are required to install? How many program components are needed? The more time required to install a solution, the more costs involved in performing these tasks and not performing other functions.

2. Configuration: How many consoles are required to monitor and configure? The more the consoles, the more time spent interfacing.

3. Performance: Is there a noticeable impact on both servers and desktops after installation or during scans? Solutions that are resource-heavy and slow down computers ultimately impact employee productivity.

4. Support: Do you need to contact support often? Was that support experience efficient and effective? Support calls need to be minimal and when dealing with support it should be timely to reach someone and the person needs to be qualified to resolve your issue.

While entrepreneurs have enough challenges growing their business and shouldn’t have to worry about security, the unfortunate reality is, increasing exposure to revenue-motivated Web threats will be with us for the foreseeable future. Small businesses need to aggressively evaluate whether the security solution they are considering is truly “worry-free” and designed specifically with their needs in mind. A worry free solution includes the following characteristics:

• Installation and deployment should be straightforward, simplified wizard-driven process with a minimal number of installation actions.

• Provides a single-console to interface, configure, and monitor.

• Be unobtrusive/invisible to employees- use minimal resources, while remaining invisible to end user employees.

• Technical support should be timely and expert.


* Trend Micro: 2006 Annual Threat Roundup and 2007 Forecast

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