How To Provide Network Security To SMBs

By Bernadette Wilson

Business Solutions interviewed Dave Martin, VP of marketing for Edgewater Networks, about selling security services to your SMB clients.

BSM: Do you think most SMBs realize they are viable targets for cyberattacks?

Martin: Cyberattacks have traditionally focused on larger enterprises; however, with large IT budgets, these businesses have developed sophisticated defenses. This has pushed cyberattackers to increasingly focus on more vulnerable small- and medium-sized businesses. The most vulnerable SMBs are in the finance, insurance, retail, and other verticals that are custodians of sensitive customer information such as credit card and social security numbers. At the same time, SMBs are now exposed to greater risks by interacting with a growing number of parties outside of their network perimeter, utilizing cloud services and migrating from traditional to IP-based telephony. According to the Verizon “2012 Data Breach Investigations Report,” of 855 security incidents, 612 (72 percent) of the breaches occurred in organization of 100 or less people and 55 percent of breaches remain undiscovered for months or more.

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