You can’t dispute the fact that any business, small, medium, or large needs the highest level of network security to safeguard digital information stored on their computer networks. Unfortunately, many SMEs aren’t able to keep full-time IT professionals on staff, and so they settle for out-of-the-box network or internet security solutions. This could be a huge mistake. It only takes one hack to bring the house of cards tumbling down. There are times when bespoke network security solutions are really the only solutions!
Sometimes Off-the-Shelf Solutions Are Sufficient
When it comes to choosing various types of software for your SME, some products work just well for generic needs like accounting and office suites. From accounting software products like One Up and Xero to office suites like MS Office, it is easy to get up and running as soon as they are installed on your hard drive or network. Even then, without sufficient security protocols, none of that information is free from being breached because hackers can easily access any and every file on your network if your network security isn’t tailored to your specific needs.
The Plus Side of Off-the-Shelf Software
Many SMEs are still struggling a bit to stay afloat even though the recession has been officially over for several years now. What was broken in a day when the market crashed has taken years to rebuild. Think of each customer as a building block in your foundation. While your company may have survived, many of your customers and suppliers didn’t.
The process of procuring replacement building blocks, customers, and suppliers, was a long and arduous endeavour. It became necessary to cut back on expenses whilst building your business back up to profitability. Out-of-the-box software is less expensive than bespoke solutions, so many SMEs cut some costs in this way. As stated above, there is nothing wrong with this if the files are kept safe with proprietary network security.
Spend More Now – Pay Infinitely Less Later
When it comes to network security, the wisest course is to compare a greater cost now with the potential to lose everything with just one major breach. Do a quick Google search and you will find a huge number of businesses that were ruined as a result of being hacked. Even governments have been hacked and look at the chaos that resulted in. Not only is a company at risk of losing clients and customers if their personal information is leaked to the media but imagine if your intellectual material was put at risk! Sold to your chief competitors, you could be bankrupt overnight. One study in the United States found that 60% of SMEs were out of business within six months of being hacked.
When all is said and done, spending a few extra pounds now may very well be what keeps you in business in the long term. Why risk hundreds of thousands, millions even, when a few thousand pounds now may keep nefarious elements from accessing your system? Is it worth the risk to use out-of-the-box security software? That’s something you need to address, but the answer is, probably not.
