SMBs encouraged to increase online security defenses

Online security breaches can impact any company, but, unlike large enterprises, small and medium-sized businesses with limited resources may not be able to recover should an attack penetrate their defenses. CIO's Paul Mah recently highlighted several ways SMBs can bolster their protection against hackers.

"The first line of defense against unwelcomed visitors would surely be the firewall," Mah wrote. "At one point, the use of dual firewalls from different vendors was all the rage, though the creation of a DMZ -[or] demilitarized zone - appears to be more popular these days. Internet-facing servers are typically placed within the DMZ, where they are encumbered by fewer restrictions and lesser monitoring than the internal corporate network."

To address concerns associated with employees accessing a network from mobile devices, the writer suggested companies establish a virtual private network to enhance their infrastructure protection.

Organizations must also consider growing malware concerns, which Mah noted are expected to drive the enterprise security market toward nearly $23 billion in 2012. Malware scanning solutions can identify threats on a number of devices.

"Business-centric versions typically include some form of central management used to push out new definition updates and implement simple security policies," he added. "Malware products specifically optimized for servers are also available, though they are not particularly popular, as businesses are understandably loathe to deploy anything that saps the processing cycles of expensive server hardware."

Other steps SMBs should take to improve their overall security capabilities include ensuring that software remains updated so new threats can be thwarted. These attacks can include spam, Trojans or phishing attacks that can catch employees off-guard.

There are a number of helpful options SMBs can use to defend against hackers, including password manager software. A recent Signal News report by Chilton Tippin highlighted the importance of proper password best practices.

According to the writer, companies and consumers should adopt a tiered password system that includes numbers, capital letters and symbols. With password manager technology, the expert asserted that protection is bolstered because new phrasing is established for each account, making it more difficult for cybercriminals to obtain sensitive information. 

Another key aspect of such solutions is that people no longer have to agonize over remembering different passwords for multiple accounts.