Internet.com is a respected information technology publication that's been active on the Web since the late 1990s. Their spin-off Website SmallBusinessComputing.com is a great source for news, technology reviews, and information for small-to-medium sized businesses in North America. Their April 7, 2011, article entitled "10 Top Small Business Security Tools" does a nice job of profiling a useful collection of modestly-priced software packages that are bound to help small businesses up their security quotient.
This story covers the following categories and items in its four screens' worth of text and images:
Used together, these kinds of products can protect small businesses against all kinds of security threats including breaking and entering the old-fashioned way, as well as against cybercrime. Be sure to check out the SmallBusinessComputing.com story, and to assess your security needs in light of what these affordable and usable products can add to your security posture. These items can help you and your staff avoid the possibility of cyberheists.
Stu Sjouwerman
This story covers the following categories and items in its four screens' worth of text and images:
- Malware Protection: Includes discussions of Symantec Endpoint Protection Small Business Edition, McAfee SaaS Endpoint Protection SaaS Suite, Kaspersky Small Office Security, and AVG Technologies AVG Internet Security 2011 Business Edition. Expect to pay $35-63 per seat or server for such protection. [Editor's note: as a former principal in Sunbelt Software, creator of the VIPRE anti-malware suite, now a GFI Software product, I hope you'll also consider that excellent product among your candidate selections as well.]
- Firewalls: Includes coverage of ZoneAlarm Pro, and even better, Check Point Software's Safe@Office 500 unified threat management (UTM) security appliance that combines straightforward wizard-based installation with a comprehensive collection of security features and functions (firewall, VPN support, URL filtering, messaging security, and so forth) for $299.
- Data encryption and small business services: Large Software's DocLock delivers PC-based document encryption and password protection to prevent unauthorized access, even on files attached to e-mail or ferried around via UFD (USB Flash Drive). Microsoft's Small Business Server also comes in for mention for its integrated file encryption and built-in backup features for its own files and system state, as well as those of other machines on the network.
- Remote backup services: Covers file backup to a remote Internet location, where the product called out is Carbonite Pro, which offers small business protection to all of an organization's employees by e-mail invitation, after which they can set up their backup covreage ($10 per month for up to 20GB of data, with additional charges for more storage space).
- Video surveillance and monitoring: Webcams that survey and record what's occurring on a business's premises, along with software to manage remote viewing and recording. The product covered in this category is the Logitech Alert 750i Master system. A base system costs $300, and comes with one indoor camera; a complete system can handle up to five more indoor ($230 each) or outdoor ($280 each) cameras.
Used together, these kinds of products can protect small businesses against all kinds of security threats including breaking and entering the old-fashioned way, as well as against cybercrime. Be sure to check out the SmallBusinessComputing.com story, and to assess your security needs in light of what these affordable and usable products can add to your security posture. These items can help you and your staff avoid the possibility of cyberheists.
Stu Sjouwerman
