Malware Creativity Means VAR Opportunities

By Business Solutions magazine

When it comes to network security threats, creativity has never been stronger than it is today. The manner in which those threats are evolving and the creativity of those seeking to cause problems, commit fraud, and steal data is impressive. Criminals are combining techniques to get around security protection many companies have in place. For example, spam e-mail is no longer used solely to sell products or to entice people to spend money. Spam is used to redirect users to phony Web sites where they are exposed to viruses and malicious payloads. Although your customers may have antivirus engines running on their file servers, without some form of Web content security in place, their networks are open to attack. There has never been a better time for VARs to step up and provide layered security solutions for their customers.

"Insiders remain a constant threat for businesses, and they are the weakest link," explains Troy Vertigan, VP, global reseller business, PC Tools. "Humans continue to do things that make life easier for hackers and spammers. They use weak passwords and then write them down on pieces of paper, they don't secure their mobile devices, and they use USB storage devices that are unsecured. And, with the growing need for mobility at the workplace, the threat posed by employees losing or having their devices stolen is a major security risk." To highlight the market opportunities for VARs, PC Tools released the findings from a worldwide survey of more than 25,000 respondents — of which 12,307 were from the United States. The results revealed that despite customers having a high level of awareness regarding online security and related computer security products, those same customers are demonstrating widespread indifference to other preventive measures.

Wouldn't it be nice to have a single solution to all network security problems — one product that does it all? Maybe not. "There is no single solution on the market that can offer total protection for your customers," explains Jim Semersky, director of channels, GFI Software. "That is why customers need multiple products to shore up the security holes in their networks. This layered approach to security gives VARs a huge opportunity to cross-sell network security products with content security products." That layered approach also includes the consulting services that so many of your customers desperately need. "Your customers also need to focus on legal compliance," continues Semersky. "To do so, they need to purchase products that deal with events management and e-mail archiving."

Just as you would never ship a fragile object without multiple layers of protection around it, you should not rely on a single layer of protection for your customers' networks. For instance, antivirus, anti-malware, Web content filtering, and firewalls are all great — but they're not enough. There are often corporate governance issues that have to be addressed, such as how often your customers' employees change their passwords. What about endpoint security? How many of your customers' employees have USB storage devices? How do your customers know if those devices are malware-free? That's why they need you to illustrate the damage that can be done from those threats. You may think that you don't have all the answers. That's OK. VARs that have achieved trusted advisor status say many customers appreciate that you're willing to work with them to solve those issues — even if you don't have all the answers. That's what being a trusted advisor is all about.

Used with permission from Business Solutions magazine