Security is certainly not a new concern for businesses today. It’s also not a small one. In fact, according to a recent study by Symantec, most SMBs are clearly aware of the threats that face them each time they access an application, send an email, or make a VoIP call. Rather, they are keenly aware of the need to protect their networks against viruses, spam, and data breaches — the top three concerns, according to the study.

 

That’s the good news.

 

On the other hand, the same survey — and this data is supported by many other research reports that have come out — suggests that almost 60% of those same respondents do not have endpoint protection (that includes laptops, phones, PCs, servers); 42% don’t have anti-spam solutions; and a third don’t even have any anti-virus protection.

 

To top it off, almost half fail to back up their PCs.

 

So, you see the problem — there is a major disconnect between what SMBs say they know and understand about security and what they practice.

 

Today, more than ever, that has the potential to wreak havoc on a business’ communications capabilities, as Syamantec also says malicious code growth currently exceeds all previous levels. That follows closely with comments from Cisco (News - Alert) Systems recently, when it noted that not only is the number of threats growing significantly, but that their complexity is also increasing, to the point of being “mind-boggling.”

 

Of course, there are reasons, including the fact that security is not immune to economic conditions, and businesses of all sizes often believe mistakenly that they are adequately protected, or that they are, for some reason, immune. The combination of a lack of both fiscal and human resources, and a misunderstanding of how to effectively protect their business leaves them at risk, despite warnings from network equipment vendors, like Cisco, and security firms, like Symantec (News - Alert).

 

Still, the bottom line is that these businesses need to better prepare themselves for handling the growing number of threats in order to ensure business continuity and efficiency. Other than a network outage, there is little that can hinder business processes more than security breaches.

 

To assist businesses in understanding just what they can do — and some of the technology available to them — to effectively protect their networks, security expert Astaro recently sponsored a Webinar, called Security at the Perimeter of Your Business.

 

The event took a trip through time, of sorts, with a discussion of the security challenges that have plagues SMBs since the earliest days of the Internet — which still exist today, only in greater numbers and increased sophistication, ultimately ending with the targeted threats that are becoming increasingly prevalent today.

 

Of course, that’s only half the picture, Angelo Comazzetto, Product Manager at Astaro (News - Alert), also spent considerable time discussing the many security options that are available for SMBs, from simple firewalls to software-based solutions to the latest Unified Threat Management appliances (UTMs), including their advantages in handling the threats facing businesses today.

 

If you are in charge of IT at your business or, for that matter, have an interest in ensuring your company has is adequately informed — which is a concern we all should have — here’s your chance to become acquainted with current threats and the solutions available to mitigate them. Check out the archived Webinar today — you’ll be doing your whole company a favor.